Dorm Rooms Aren't Fox Holes
by KarotsaMused
Summary: Cutscenes from the anime, where all the boys are functionally gay and only nominally monogamous. Otonashi PoV, silly PWP. Pairings too numerous to list! Ch11: spoilers for essentially the entire anime at this point. The shadows are scary, so the boys need a little more help getting to sleep. Bed sharing ensues.
1. Standing on the Verge of Getting It On

A/N: So. I have only seen the english dub of Angel Beats. Apologies for any spelling mistakes, name spelling, canon squishing, et cetera. Mostly spoiler-free? Rating for teenage boys doing what teenage boys do obsessively. The Beta-Bean is the Best Bean!

Yes, TK's lines are song titles. Darn right!

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><p>The first few nights, he hadn't slept in a dorm room. He'd drifted between the infirmary and the principal's office, too injured, too wired, too curious to stand being alone all night.<p>

When he decided enough was enough, and maybe a little bedroom space would be good for his head, he approached Hinata about it. But, given the scattershot nature of the Anti-Barnacle-Extinction-Battlefront, he didn't actually have a room assignment. The Lieutenant just gave him a grin and said, "Show up, rookie. I'll take care of you tonight."

He'd winced, and Hinata had laughed, and that had more or less been that. A little innuendo, a little laughter, and the matter had been dropped.

So, that night, Otonashi headed for the boys' dorm complex. And realized that not only was it huge, there were commons on every floor. Cursing Hinata's vagueness, he poked his head into one common room after another, looking for a familiar face. Most of the dorm was a ghost town, all of the boys already obediently in their rooms.

When he heard signs of life coming from a door not completely closed, he took it as a hint and followed the sound. He knocked with the backs of his knuckles as he leaned his shoulder into the door, peeking inside. His greeting died in his mouth.

It was definitely a few of the members of the Battlefront, familiar faces. It should have been a relief. But TK's hands were fluttering to some unheard beat, his head tipped back to let Matsushita V suck at the base of his throat. The headband over TK's eyes had been tied more tightly, and his mouth hung open on rough breaths. They rocked together, their uniforms open just enough to show a thin, pale strip of skin from TK's collarbones to the blond curls at his groin.

"Jealous? I told you. I'll take care of you."

Otonashi nearly jumped out of his skin at Hinata's voice in his ear. He whirled on him, flustered and embarrassed, his cheeks flushed so brightly they hurt. "What the hell?" he hissed, stepping away from the door and out of Hinata's range.

Hinata shrugged, following, matching him step for step. "It makes sense, doesn't it?"

Otonashi gaped. "What? Did you want me to see-"

"No, come on, man. That's private." He shook his head, holding his hands out in front of him in a placating gesture. "I mean the whole concept of it."

"I was joking," said Otonashi flatly, heading for the stairwell. He knew Hinata hadn't meant the gay jokes any more than he had.

With a burst of speed, Hinata beat him there, his hands on the doorframe. "Hear me out."

Feeling his blush subside, and with it his panic, Otonashi eyed Hinata. The other boy's face was open, nothing but earnest, and that was really his only saving grace.

"You get twenty seconds."

Hinata grinned. "Okay! Okay, listen. What's part of having a fulfilled high school student life. A girlfriend, right? That high school romance? It's archetypal. So Yurippe decided a long time ago that nobody but nobody was going to date."

"Ten seconds."

"So what, are we gonna be celibate forever? No fucking way!"

The gears clicked in Otonashi's head so fast he winced. "You guys are all dating?" asked Otonashi, color draining from his face.

Hinata shook his head, starting to smile again. "I did not say dating, rookie."

Otonashi wrinkled his nose. Faintly, behind him, he heard TK groan and start laughing. "This is sick."

"Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. And try it. Come on. Noda leaves bruises and I need a break." Hinata leaned against the doorframe to the stairwell and lifted the hem of his shirt. Sure enough, dark red fingerprint bruises rode the curves of his hips. And, higher, teeth marks on his side. Hinata lifted his chin as Otonashi's eyes traveled his body, inviting him.

Otonashi took a step back. "You- want me- Noda _hates_ me!"

Hinata snorted. "I said I'd take care of you. Me."

"You are such a pervert." He shook his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets. That old furious blush had started to rise up his neck again.

"Two seconds ago, your only complaint was about someone not liking you. I like you just fine." Hinata took a step forward, looking up at Otonashi through his lashes. He wore the alluring, insouciant look of a boy who knew he was handsome. "So give me at least five more minutes before you decide?"

"It only takes you five minutes?" cried Otonashi, and it was Hinata's turn to blush.

"Not for me, for you-"

"Hey, dudes?" TK poked his head into the commons, his hair dangling over his bare shoulders. He pointed to himself and intoned, "Standing on the Verge of Getting It On."

Otonashi fishmouthed, but Hinata raised a hand and smiled. "Sorry, bro. Initiating the rookie."

TK grinned and flashed a thumbs-up. "Stairway to Heaven, my friend."

"Ulgh!"

Hinata used Otonashi's shock to tuck an arm around his shoulders. "Oh-toh-nah-sheeeeee," he leered, leaning in.

Otonashi shoved his head away. "He said keep it down."

"I'm quiet," said Hinata amicably. Otonashi could hear the subtext dripping from those two little words. Had he been quiet when Noda had bitten the ever-loving crap out of his side? Hinata's free hand moved to Otonashi's tie and loosened it with practiced strokes. "Ten minutes. Fifteen?"

Otonashi's eyes slid over to meet Hinata's. He swallowed thickly. "You never told me which one's my room."

Hinata moved his fingers to Otonashi's top button, undoing it, finding the skin below and stroking. "They're all doubles. You're sharing with Matsushita V. But he's pretty busy. Unless you'd rather help them-"

"No!"

Hinata snickered, and nosed the side of his face. "That's good. 'Cause I share with TK. You know he beatboxes in his sleep?"

Otonashi eyed him suspiciously. "No."

"Yeah. Kicks too. Pretty hard. You don't kick, do you, Otonashi?"

"You've slept with TK." Otonashi put a hand to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was all too much, but Hinata sounded so natural about it, even as he worked a few more of Otonashi's shirt buttons open one-handed.

Milk wouldn't curdle in Hinata's mouth. "There's only one-"

"Only one bed in there. Of course there is. Homo."

Hinata grinned, and gave Otonashi's belt a good tug. "Twenty minutes. Half an hour."

"Only half?"

Hinata nearly purred. "Knew I liked you, rookie."


	2. Don't Fear the Reaper

A/N: Welcome to chapter two! This takes place just after episode three, so spoilers up until that point.

Pairings for this chapter include: Hinata/Otonashi, Fujimaki/Ooyama, Takamatsu/Noda, Takeyama/Ooyama, Fujimaki/Takamatsu/Noda, and Hinata/Ooyama/Otonashi. Confusing enough yet?

Also this chapter makes a little more good on the M rating! Hope you enjoy it as much as my Bean enjoyed being beta!

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><p>Generally, Otonashi was good with adjectives. He could explain things to himself without hesitation, finding just the right words for whatever he wanted to say.<p>

But, after spending the night in Hinata's room, with Hinata, _very much with_ Hinata, he was noticing little pauses in his thoughts.

Hinata had been... attentive. It had felt... good. Really good. It hadn't been... overwhelmingly awkward. And yeah, okay, so it was pretty... easy. Natural even. To be attracted to someone so... unabashed.

He felt like his inner monologue had the hiccups. He tried to run through the same thoughts over and over, without the pauses. That was the seat of being honest with oneself, wasn't it? Thinking exactly the way one thought without hedging. It wasn't like he wasn't alone in his own head. He could admit it.

Otonashi made it through the day, not so much in a daze but with a new sort of understanding. The other boys in the Battlefront didn't treat him any differently, and that, he suspected, was the point. When Noda threatened him again, he was still just being an asshole. When Hinata touched his shoulder, it was just to keep him from tripping over a loose paving stone.

But then Iwasawa disappeared.

He'd felt her absence bittersweet in the back of his mouth, the way the intercom echoed with the last dull thud of her guitar hitting the stage.

The others moved in a kind of daze, a combination of loss and hope, as they walked toward their dorms. Otonashi found himself in between Fujimaki and Takamatsu, dwarfed by their height, guarded by their bulk. He tried to be comforted by it, the way Ooyama was, his head leaned up against Fujimaki's chest even as they walked. The smaller boy looked shaken, but the way Fujimaki's fingers tightened on Ooyama's shoulder betrayed him as well.

"How d'you think the girls are doing?" asked Otonashi softly.

"Yurippe!" snarled Noda, whirling.

Hinata grabbed his collar and dragged him along. "She needs time to think. So does the band. They don't want a bunch of lunkhead boys barging in on 'em either."

"She sounded so - so." Ooyama swallowed. "Happy."

"Don't Fear the Reaper, baby," said TK, ruffling his head.

Ooyama grunted, but Otonashi watched Fujimaki's hand on him, the way it got even tighter. Gruffly, Fujimaki said, "It was her choice."

"Does that mean you agree with her?" murmured Takamatsu.

Fujimaki spat over his shoulder, just missing Otonashi. "No, I ain't done fighting yet."

"We gotta fight for Yurippe!" agreed Noda, scrambling against Hinata's hold on his collar.

"Methinks thou doest protest too much," said Takamatsu.

Noda righted himself and punched Takamatsu hard between the shoulders. "Shut up, Tsundere. You know what you're here for."

Takamatsu coughed. Hinata took Otonashi's arm and pulled him gently out of harm's way. Softly, he said, "He's wired. Back up."

Otonashi eyed him, then glanced back to Takamatsu. "Tsundere?" he whispered.

Hinata winked at him. "Tell you later."

"This has to do with-"

"Is this really the time, Otonashi?" murmured Hinata, raising his eyebrows.

Otonashi sighed. "Hell."

Hinata squeezed his bicep, and smiled. Matsushita V moved to walk beside them and put his hand on Otonashi's other shoulder.

"Hey, man, sorry 'bout before."

"You weren't the one threatening to kill me," said Otonashi with a shrug. The break-in still felt too new, too weird, but Matsushita V looked relieved at his response.

Matsushita V smiled wryly and shrugged in return. "Nope."

"I'll whip you," said Noda, but he almost sounded perfunctory about it. Already he had his hand on the back of Takamatsu's neck, his halberd balanced gracelessly over his other shoulder. But then he glanced over and grinned. "You know. If you wanted me to."

"You already put that goddamn nasty thing in my mouth-"

"Whoa, hey!" cried Hinata, gaping. "When did this-"

"His stupid axe thing!" cried Otonashi, gesturing to the halberd. "While Matsushida V had me in a headlock in the girls' dorm!"

It was TK who started laughing first, taking the handcuffs from around his neck and twirling them on his index finger. Fujimaki followed, and after that Takamatsu, his head thrown back and his glasses sliding down his nose.

Otonashi flushed, wrinkling his nose. "It wasn't like that."

"Yurippe was there," said Noda defensively, but he still gave the halberd a shake, dislodging any residual Otonashi cooties in pantomime.

"Kinky, bro," said TK.

Even Otonashi had to laugh when Noda sputtered, "You put those cuffs back on or I'll put 'em on you myself!"

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><p>He'd gone to bed with Hinata again because it made sense. Everyone else had left them alone, and Hinata had looked strung out enough that Otonashi didn't have to think about it too hard. He already knew what it was like to sleep next to him. Hinata didn't snore, didn't kick, really. He just grabbed on to Otonashi and didn't let go. They didn't talk before bed, or before falling asleep. Hinata had just turned out the lights and curled up with him, his face hidden against Otonashi's shoulder.<p>

It was a strange thought, but he felt Iwasawa looming over all of them. She'd found something they didn't have. And this farce, laying in bed with one another, was perpetuating that. But it was comforting all the same, to think that he knew at least one person would still be there with him in the morning.

Some hours before dawn, the door to their room burst open and Ooyama, looking faintly panicked, stood in the doorway. His hair was mussed, his stomach sucked in tightly, and he shivered, clad only in his boxer shorts.

"Um. Guys? Lieutenant? Can- can I come in here?"

Otonashi sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Ooyama?"

"Yeah, get in and shut the door," said Hinata, rolling over to make space between himself and Otonashi. "Have a fight with Fujimaki again?"

Ooyama had been approaching, but with that question, he just shut the bedroom door and leaned against it, looking wretched. Otonashi blinked.

"You guys are-"

Ooyama said, to his knees, "It was getting to be a little too much. A-and w-we decided that- that if Iwasawa-" He swallowed.

Hinata sat up, running a hand through his hair. "I said, get in, Ooyama."

Otonashi frowned at the harshness of his tone, but Ooyama immediately obeyed, climbing right into bed between them. He wriggled to get under the covers, but the tightness in his expression didn't relax.

And then, contrary to every expectation Otonashi had up to that moment, Hinata kissed Ooyama. Hard. Hard enough, it appeared, to make Ooyama's eyes flutter and his hands twitch.

"Hey! Whoa. Whoa!" stammered Otonashi, sitting back a little bit.

Hinata pulled back and sighed, giving Otonashi an indulgent but tired look. "Ooyama and Fujimaki got a little too exclusive. Now they're scared they'll pass on if it goes too far. 'M I right?"

"Yeah," whispered Ooyama, pressing his palms together. "A-and I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone 'cause Takeyama was looking pretty broken up over Iwasawa and he was alone and -"

Hinata winced, petting Ooyama's hair back out of his face. "Did he do what I think he did? Did he really?"

Ooyama leaned on Hinata and nodded. "He asked me to call him Christ! In bed! I- and then when I didn't, he- he-"

Otonashi fought the urge to smack his own head into the wall until it bled. As it was, he shuddered. "That's -"

"Creepy as hell. Where's Fujimaki?" Hinata rubbed Ooyama's chest.

"Th-think he's helping Takamatsu with Noda."

The momentary group cringe led to a beat of silence. Otonashi said, "So, uh..."

Ooyama's voice was quiet, his head down. "Can I stay in here? Please?"

Hinata shrugged, and Ooyama turned his big, pleading eyes on Otonashi. He could only sigh and say, "It's Hinata's room."

Hinata grinned like a wolf and tucked his arms around Ooyama, pulling him down to the bed. "You can stay. You don't have to call me anything at all."

"God, you're so perverse," said Otonashi, though he laid down as well. After a moment, he leaned his side up against Ooyama's back and felt Ooyama relax a little.

"I feel like I need the world's longest shower," said Ooyama softly, sounding sleepy and miserable.

Otonashi snorted. "Was it that bad?"

"You try it next time!" cried Ooyama, as Hinata started laughing.

"Why me?" asked Otonashi, turning to look at them. He saw Hinata's eyes glittering over the back of Ooyama's head.

"Rookie," said Hinata, reaching over Ooyama to give Otonashi's belly a pat. "There are just some religious experiences you gotta believe for yourself."

Ooyama rolled over decisively and buried his face against Otonashi's chest. "Get away from me, Hinata, you're awful!" he wailed.

Otonashi jumped at the contact, just a little. But Ooyama was warm and soft, and holding tight to him with nothing but trust. He felt almost protective. He grunted, the moment lost, when Hinata rolled over and spooned up against Ooyama, pressing them all together.

"Go to sleep, both of you," he said, yawning against the back of Ooyama's neck. "Too early for trauma."

Otonashi grunted. But, as he heard Hinata's breathing even out first, followed by a soft, snuffling little snore from Ooyama, he sighed and let his eyes close. They were warm, both of them, and dragged him, unresisting, down into sleep. 

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><p>Otonashi woke to sunlight cutting a hot path across his eyes. The blinds in Hinata's room hadn't been closed all the way, and the higher the sun rose, the brighter the room became. He winced, raising one hand to cover his eyes. The other was trapped under Ooyama's warm weight, tucked between his thighs. He could feel Ooyama's skin at the edge of his shorts, soft as a peach. He rubbed his thumb over it in slow, gentle circles.<p>

It had to be later in the morning than they'd have liked, thought Otonashi. But the mission had gone late into the night, and skipping class was practically expected. Angel wouldn't venture into the boys' dorms just to flush them out. Again he felt a pang of guilt for trespassing on a girl's room, but he was jarred out of his thoughts by the soft gasp Ooyama gave as he woke.

Ooyama's hand twitched on his chest, and he hummed softly, pressing closer, rubbing sleepy and unashamed up against Otonashi's wrist.

Otonashi turned his head, shielding his eyes from the sun, and looked down when he felt the soft, wet curl of Ooyama's tongue on his collarbone. Already his cheeks were flushed, his voice just a little husky.

"Sorry I woke you up in the middle of the night," he murmured, laying a slow line of kisses over Otonashi's shoulder. "Kinda freaked out."

Otonashi, without anything else to say, just murmured, "It's okay." He felt Ooyama's thighs tighten down on his hand, felt his hips roll smooth and lazy. And hissed when Ooyama scraped his fingernails lightly down over his chest.

"Mornin', sunshine," murmured Hinata with a yawn. He spooned up against Ooyama so tightly Otonashi could feel him against his fingertips. Hinata stroked down Ooyama's side, to his hip, finding the waistband of his shorts and sliding beneath it to give him a friendly squeeze. Ooyama whimpered.

Otonashi nearly whined too, feeling the back of Hinata's hand press up against his own, and Ooyama's fingernails digging in to his ribs. "Think it might not be morning any more."

"Nah, we've got more'n an hour," purred Hinata, nosing up against Ooyama's throat. "Plenty of time."

"Until it's not morning?" breathed Otonashi. Hinata had started to stroke, and it meant Ooyama spread his legs, letting a rush of cool air brush Otonashi's hand. He rolled onto his side, facing them, and tucked his knee between Ooyama's. "What then?"

"Lunch," said Hinata with a grin. "Prob'ly a strategy meeting. Thinkin' too much."

Otonashi's response was cut off by Ooyama's wandering hands. His curious, demanding, exquisite hands. His hips jerked, and he looked down, startled by the closeness of Ooyama's face.

"Otonashi," he breathed, a soft plea, "s-stop thinking."

Oh. That was it, wasn't it. Neither of them was Fujimaki, and he was only denying Ooyama what he'd asked.

Kissing Ooyama, morning breath and all, made Otonashi shiver. He heard Hinata making rough, pleased noises behind Ooyama, but it was all he could do to hold on.


	3. Grazin' in the Grass

A/N: Welcome to chapter three! This is just between episodes three and four - post-Iwasawa, pre-baseball tournament.

Pairings for this chapter: Otonashi/Hinata, Otonashi/Noda. Also a little conversation with Ooyama. I am beginning to love Ooyama.

Bean loves Ooyama too. She's a good beta, yes she is.

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><p>It wasn't as though he didn't mind the thought of rooming with Matsushita V. And it wasn't as though Matsushita V and TK appeared to be completely exclusive, either, so he didn't have a reason to keep out of the room he was coming to think of as theirs. It was just that, well.<p>

Maybe it was that Hinata wasn't so bad to sleep beside. He was warm and he didn't steal the sheets. Maybe it was his peculiar, affectionate habit of waking Otonashi up with his hands and his mouth, no matter who else was with them.

This time, curiously enough, it was Noda, his hands chained by TK's cuffs to his halberd where it was propped up by Hinata's headboard. Faced with the prospect of destroying his beloved staff, Noda could only swear and writhe, his muscles flexing uselessly.

Otonashi wasn't really into torture, but there was something really, _really_ satisfying about the feeling of Noda's jealousy rolling over him in waves. He just leaned back against Hinata and let himself be shown off, his head tilted to the side to permit Hinata's tongue. He felt the sharp press of Hinata's teeth just before he heard Noda swear.

"Lemme out of these damn things or I'll kill you!"

Otonashi watched as Noda rattled the halberd against the headboard, but did nothing so foolish as break the staff. Hinata drew slow, teasing fingertips over Otonashi's belly, scratching lightly at the hair below his navel, and Otonashi let himself shiver.

"Not until you tell me you want him," murmured Hinata, and Otonashi could feel him smile against his throat. "Tell me that's why you challenge him all the time, and it's not just because Yurippe pays him so much attention."

Noda snarled, his eyes widening. "You sick fuck."

Otonashi frowned, shaking his head. "Hinata. Wait."

Hinata bit his throat, just below his ear. He felt the heat of it before the pain, and groaned before he could swallow the sound. Noda lunged, and came within a hair's breadth of biting off the end of his nose.

Otonashi jerked back against Hinata and felt him scramble as he nearly fell off the bed. "Dammit, Noda!"

Hinata crawled over Otonashi and pinned Noda with a knee to the chest. "You're being a brat."

"You tied me up," said Noda, looking less winded by Hinata's knee and more put out. "And you're telling lies."

"Baseless accusations, really," agreed Otonashi, sitting up.

Hinata snorted. "If they were he'd have denied them by now."

Noda gritted his teeth. "Gonna _kill_ you."

"Oh, go die," murmured Hinata, starting to smile. "Just say you want him and I'll-"

"Maybe you shouldn't," said Otonashi, touching his fingertip to the end of his nose. He'd been close enough to hear Noda's teeth clack together.

Hinata grinned. "I wasn't gonna say I was gonna let him up."

"I'll kill you," hissed Noda, and Otonashi saw the vicious way he tensed his thighs.

Before he knew it, he'd thrown himself over Noda's legs, keeping Noda's knee from slamming into Hinata's back. Otonashi grabbed both of his legs below the knee and held them down as Noda thrashed.

"This isn't cool-" he started, but it was when Hinata turned and Otonashi saw the edge to his smile that he stopped.

"I didn't ask you to tie me down!" growled Noda, but his eyes were on Otonashi. They were narrowed, but he'd stopped squirming, his legs resting in Otonashi's grip. He could feel Noda's muscles flexing, tensing, but he didn't fight.

Hinata moved, sliding off of Noda. He settled, cross-legged, at the head of the bed by one of Noda's elbows, and leaned his cheek on his fist. "So you finally grabbed him."

Otonashi blinked, glaring at Hinata. "Hey, what-"

"Up here, Otonashi," said Noda softly. And he moved his focus, from his hands on Noda's dark, brown legs, over the muscles, obsessively toned, of his belly, his chest, to Noda's face, still staring down a challenge. But as Noda's wrists twisted in the cuffs, they weren't the movements of a man trying to escape. "Ain't gonna let you do it if you're chicken."

Otonashi frowned, squeezing hard with both hands. "You fight all the time. All the fucking time, don't you."

Noda grinned. "I knew it. Chicken."

"This doesn't even make sense!" Otonashi leaned up, his weight on his hands.

Noda wrenched his knees apart, throwing Otonashi's balance enough that he nearly crashed to the bed between Noda's legs. He put a hand down to steady himself, bracing already for the impact of a knee against his cheekbone, but Noda only pulled his knees up and away, spreading his legs. The insides of his thighs were pale. And Otonashi understood, suddenly, why Noda wanted him to fight.

"Yeah, it does," said Hinata softly. He reached into the bedside table, and the sound of the drawer opening set Otonashi's hair standing on end. "What good is something if you can have it without even trying?"

Noda put his foot squarely in the center of Otonashi's chest. "So what're you gonna do, huh? It's just a little handicap," he said, clanking the cuffs against his halberd.

Hinata's eyes were dark. "Pay him back for me, Otonashi."

Otonashi sat up to catch the tube of lubricant Hinata threw at him. And turned it over in his fingers. Noda's foot was hot and rough on his chest, pressing insistently. He thought about the bruises and bite marks he'd seen on Hinata, that first night. The way Noda'd punched Takamatsu between the shoulders.

He took Noda by the ankle and moved his leg out of the way, crawled up over him, pinning his legs apart with his thighs, looked down into his face.

"Hinata," he said softly.

"Hm?"

Otonashi ran his hand over Noda's chest, spreading his fingers. No matter how hard the muscle was beneath, his skin was soft, the hair bleached blond from the sun. He could feel Noda breathing, the beating of his heart. And, this close, Noda was letting him, his grin sharp and demanding.

"Give me the key."

Even Noda's eyes widened in shock. "What," said Hinata, "to the cuffs?"

"I'm not gonna go easy on you," warned Noda, his hands balling into fists.

Otonashi smiled. He sank down over Noda, pressing his hips tightly to Noda's, feeling his feverish heat. "The _key_, Hinata."

Noda grimaced, even down to the moment Otonashi pressed his mouth over Noda's. But Noda didn't bite him, didn't thrash or try to get away. Gently, he coaxed Noda's lips apart and sucked at his tongue. Pulling Noda's tongue beyond his teeth gave him some measure of safety, but the slick heat of it was distracting. Noda thrust with his tongue and his hips, growling roughly.

Otonashi pulled away, panting, and looked over to Hinata. "I said, gimme the key. Do I need to take it from you?"

Hinata held out his hand. The keys rested on his open palm. "What're you thinkin', rookie?"

Otonashi took the keys and dangled them in front of Noda. "Gonna hold him down myself." 

* * *

><p>"Ow, ow, ow- ow!"<p>

Hinata snorted. "I gave you the keys, Otonashi. Because you asked me to."

Otonashi pressed his face into the pillow, wincing as Hinata ran an alcohol-swabbed cotton ball over his back. "Am I bleeding?"

"Not any more." He dug his knuckles into the base of Otonashi's spine, just to make him groan. "You'll be alright eventually."

Otonashi sighed. He stretched a little, laying his cheek on his arm. "You did all that shit on purpose. How'd you even get him tied up?"

Hinata dug his thumbs into the underside of Otonashi's ass. He hissed, sighing at the massage. "You don't really wanna know, rookie," said Hinata softly, amusement in his voice.

Otonashi grunted, letting Hinata manipulate him. "Fine. I don't."

Hinata merely laughed, bending to mouth at the back of his neck. His skin against Otonashi's raw back made him itch, and he flinched down, away from him.

Hinata sighed, and moved, blowing over Otonashi's back. The sting of peroxide gave way to a chill that rolled over Otonashi in little shivers. "Poor baby."

Otonashi swallowed. "Did you just call me _baby_?"

"You're being one," said Hinata, sounding unperturbed. He kneaded the small of Otonashi's back with confident, strong hands.

Otonashi spread his legs, letting Hinata settle better between them. "I thought I did alright."

"You were overconfident. Now you're paying for it." Hinata laughed softly, and gave him a friendly pat. "But you definitely won the round."

Otonashi hummed, remembering the way Noda had trembled beneath him, his hands used not to push him away but to hold him so tightly his nails had broken Otonashi's skin. And how, afterward, Noda had looked at him, sated and beaten, reassessing him. And kissed him, slow and searching, fierce in its depth.

Otonashi's lips still hurt from Noda's teeth. His back stung, and his muscles were sore.

Hinata's hands were helping. Otonashi grunted. "Did you just sit back and watch the whole time?"

"Yup." Hinata kneaded the insides of his thighs. "Just watched."

Otonashi snorted, and tucked his knees under himself, raising his hips. "Fine, then. Since you're calling me baby and everything."

He could hear the moment of hesitation, where Hinata was torn between desire and chagrin. But it was only a moment. He felt Hinata curl his hands around his hips, warm and sure.

"Don't say it like that, babe," he said softly. "That's too far."

Otonashi hissed, feeling Hinata's fingertips dig in. "Don't mean it, then."

"Don't you worry about me, rookie. Don't mean it yourself."

Again, Otonashi felt the painful itch of Hinata's chest against his back. He hissed instead of answering, and Hinata didn't force it. 

* * *

><p>Something was nagging at his memory. A word he could have sworn he knew, but his amnesia clouded the way.<p>

Noda had called Takamatsu "Tsundere", and Hinata had evaded explaining it.

Otonashi settled under a tree, watching students in uniforms race each other around the track. He tucked his arms behind his head and wondered, frowning at his own lack of memory.

Iwasawa had called him "Mister Amnesia", and she hadn't been wrong. He still fought through the fog, sometimes, to grasp at his own first name. He felt like he'd know it if it were given him. If Hinata called it.

He shook his head, fighting the lingering itch between his shoulderblades.

When Ooyama settled next to him, he blinked out of his reverie. "Hey."

Ooyama smiled at him, holding out a bottle of water. "Hey, Otonashi."

Otonashi took it, and cracked open the top. "Thanks."

"Heard you got Noda'd."

"It's a verb now?"

Ooyama laughed. "Kind of?" He leaned up against the tree next to Otonashi. "He's been quiet all day."

"Hn," said Otonashi.

Ooyama smiled at him. "Things like this work out."

"Like what?" asked Otonashi. "Like - you and Fujimaki?"

Ooyama shrugged. "Not sayin' he likes you. And no. Not like that." He pressed his lips together.

Otonashi felt it was a good moment for a change of subject. "Hey. Ooyama. What's tsundere?"

Ooyama blinked, then laughed. "You're talking about Takamatsu?"

"I guess?"

"He catches, that's all. In kind of a cute way. Even for me." Ooyama grinned.

Otonashi raised his eyebrows. Sure, Takamatsu was slim, but Ooyama, he'd learned, just seemed to settle in a man's lap like he was born to be there. "Did you just say he was cute?"

Ooyama shrugged. "He's so uke he won't get undressed all the way. Blushes like a girl."

"So he's tsundere."

"Dour on the outside, soft creamy center?"

Otonashi winced. "You sound like Hinata!"

Ooyama laughed, and settled a little more down the tree. "You asked."

"The word sounded familiar." Otonashi ran a hand through his hair, flexing his shoulders. His back itched.

"Yeah? Like despite the amnesia?" asked Ooyama. "Huh. Maybe that's why you settled in so fast."

Otonashi glanced over, frowning. Ooyama shrugged. "Screwing a bunch of guys? You're kind of a natural."

Otonashi flushed, but Ooyama's face didn't bear any ill will. So he looked away, chewing on the mouth of the water bottle.

Ooyama hummed. "It wasn't a complaint."

Otonashi snorted. He pulled the bottle from his mouth with a pop. "Thanks. Hell. Maybe it's just another clue."

Ooyama grinned at him. "Hell of a scavenger hunt, Otonashi. I mean, wow."

Otonashi huffed a little, but he laughed. Down on the field the students raced around the track, and he didn't envy them, settled in the shade.


	4. What's the Story Morning Glory

A/N: Welcome to chapter four! Set post episode four, in the aftermath of the baseball tournament.

Pairings for this chapter: Otonashi/Hinata, Otonashi/Noda, and a snuggle pile.

Bean gets credit for the chapter title. Also thank you shadowangel for your kind review!

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><p>"So. Yui. She really gets you pissed, doesn't she?"<p>

Hinata looked away, undoing the buttons on his shirt. "Yeah. She drives me crazy." He faced his closet, putting his back to Otonashi.

"You kind of. Beat on her at every opportunity."

Otonashi couldn't see Hinata's face, only the back of his head. He watched Hinata slide his shirt down his arms, the way the muscles of his shoulders flexed under the dark red of his undershirt. He'd gotten just a little sunburnt during the tournament, on the thin strip of neck between his collar and his hair.

"I don't wanna talk about Yui."

It was strange, Otonashi realized. He'd never taken the time to watch Hinata take his clothes off. Maybe it was just too mundane, too weirdly private. Hinata wasn't putting on a show or anything, and wasn't the point to just get naked and be done with it?

When had he started noticing that Hinata always turned his left sleeve inside-out when he pulled his shirt off? Or that he folded the waistband of his underwear down so it rode lower on his hips?

"You mad at her?"

Hinata turned. The sunburn on his cheeks was faint, like the little triangle on his chest, but his nose was bright red. "Not really. You were gonna do the same thing."

Otonashi winced. But Hinata had him. He'd run straight for him from the pitcher's mound because the thought of Hinata disappearing made his chest ache. "Sorry. I guess that was selfish."

Hinata snorted, then shook his head. "I'm'onna take a shower, Otonashi. Either come or get out."

Otonashi sighed, coming away from the wall to loosen his tie. "I'm pretty gross myself." He started to unbutton his shirt, prepared, as usual, to lump his laundry in with Hinata's.

He stopped when Hinata hissed. Warm, rough hands curled around the back of his neck, drawing lines down to his collarbones. "Babe," he said. "You're burned as hell."

Otonashi flushed, but he could feel the heat of his sunburn radiating from his chest. "Just because I don't know my first name doesn't mean you get to call me that."

Hinata's eyebrows drew together. His fingertips were hot on Otonashi's chest, but as he drew them lower, away from the sunburn, they didn't itch as badly. "It's not like I mean it."

Otonashi grimaced. He thought about Ooyama, and the way he and Fujimaki hadn't so much laid a hand on one another where Otonashi could see, not since Iwasawa disappeared. He thought about the way his stomach dropped to his knees, when he realized Hinata was about to pass on. The look of bliss on Hinata's face. The way he'd trembled.

He shrugged away from Hinata's hands and turned his back on him. "I changed my mind."

Hinata grabbed him by the arms. "Wait. I don't mean it. I didn't mean it. Fuck, Otonashi."

"Listen to you. You mean it." Otonashi pressed his lips together. "I _don't_ want you to-"

"I don't mean it." Hinata kissed his back through his shirt, between his shoulders. He was still sticky with sweat from the afternoon. "I don't." He untucked Otonashi's shirt and pressed his hands to Otonashi's belly. "I won't."

Otonashi shuddered, ducking his head. "Hinata."

Hinata scraped his nails over Otonashi's hipbones, pressed his mouth to the back of Otonashi's neck, hot and wet. Then he pulled back and spat, laughing. "You fuckin' taste like dirt." But he kept his hands moving, undoing Otonashi's shirt from the bottom up. "Just get in the shower."

"You realize what you're doing, you idiot?"

Hinata put his mouth to Otonashi's shoulder. "You were the only one who ran for me, man." He pulled Otonashi's shirt down to his elbows and left it there, holding Otonashi's wrists behind his back. "You were the only one. I want you tonight. Just you."

Otonashi frowned, tried to pull his hands out of Hinata's grip. "Yeah and what the fuck am I supposed to do if you pass on?"

"I'm not going to. I can't." Hinata held him tight, keeping Otonashi's wrists together, and his shirt balled up around his elbows. "I can't be content with what I've gotten. It's not enough."

Otonashi snorted, shaking his head. "What, you're staying because you're a pervert?"

"Let's just say I haven't run out of ways for us to fuck yet."

Otonashi jerked one arm back, his elbow catching Hinata in the chest. He didn't say, _you were gonna pass on over baseball_. He didn't say, _if you say something enough times, you start to mean it_. He heard Hinata wheeze, and start laughing, and used the moment to wrench his wrists free. Otonashi wriggled free of his shirt, dropped it, turned and got his forearm under Hinata's chin, pinning him hard to the wall.

"You better start getting inventive," he said, his eyes narrowed.

Hinata's grin didn't abate. "It's all been vanilla, rookie."

"Yeah?" said Otonashi, not letting up on the pressure. He watched Hinata's hands come up and wrap around his arm. Felt Hinata's fingers tighten, strong and with just a hint of threat.

"Get in the shower, Otonashi," hissed Hinata. "I'll prove it."

Otonashi's eyes narrowed. He backed up, jerking free of Hinata's hands. "I don't believe you."

Hinata slid one hand around his own throat, and ran the other one down his belly. He leaned back against the wall, lowering his shoulders, lifting his chin. Slowly, slowly, he ran his thumb beneath the waistband of his shorts, inching them lower and lower on his hips. He stroked his own throat, arching his back.

"What's there to believe? Maybe I just like your dick."

Otonashi swallowed against a dry tongue. And still, Hinata watched him, his back arched, fingertips dragging over every inch of exposed skin, his eyes at once an invitation and a challenge.

Hinata bit his lip, letting his eyes flutter closed as he pinched his own nipple, his other hand tightening around his throat. "Otonashi-"

Hinata's door nearly exploded open, and Noda stood in the doorway, his shirt open around his shoulders. He wore a wide, angry grin, bracing the door open with his arms.

"Otonashi. You fucking _suck_ at baseball. That was bullshit. I'm not done with you."

He stalked across the room, grabbing Otonashi by the tie. "I'm gonna make you _scream_."

"Noda! Busy, here!" cried Hinata. His eyes were narrowed, his hands flat on the wall behind him.

Otonashi swallowed, looking between them. Then he put his hand over Noda's fist and said, "You'll scream first."

Noda's grin turned to a grimace, an acceptance of the challenge. "No fuckin' way. I'll beat you."

"Try it," said Otonashi softly. He glanced to Hinata, saw the faint look of betrayal around the corners of his eyes. He shouldn't have looked betrayed, just annoyed at having to find a new partner. Otonashi knew it.

So he let Noda drag him from the room, left Hinata behind, followed Noda, stumbling, through the common room. He let Noda thrust his tongue deep into his mouth, let Noda rake blunt fingernails over his sunburn and catch hard handfuls of his hair. He let Noda push him into his room, down onto his bed. He let Noda rip his shirt open so hard buttons flew off. He let Noda sink his teeth into his throat so hard he could feel the skin threatening to break.

And Otonashi, in return, swallowed any sound he might have made, his hands tight on Noda's shoulders. He spread his legs and let Noda between them, not feeling the urge to fight but not ready to let Noda beat him.

But he still yelped when Noda ripped his pants off, planted both hands on the backs of his knees, bent him nearly in half and buried his face between his legs. The squirming, slick heat of Noda's tongue wriggling inside of him, bit by bit, made his breath catch, and his head jerk back.

"Fuck, -_fuck_! Noda! Noda, what the hell're you-"

"Hnh," said Noda, his hands bruisingly tight at the backs of Otonashi's knees. He pressed in hard enough that Otonashi could feel the hint of his teeth.

Otonashi felt exposed, vulnerable beyond measure, unable to do anything but writhe under Noda's tongue, though his hands had found white-knuckled purchase on his wrists. Otonashi panted, trying not to scream, but even under the roughness of his need, he remembered the way Hinata's eyes had tightened, the way he'd hunched like a trapped animal, his back to the wall.

"Y-you're cheating," he ground out between gritted teeth.

Noda snorted, lifting his head. He wiped his mouth with the back of one hand, letting Otonashi lower his leg. Otonashi kneed him in the head. Noda grabbed his leg again and pinned it to the bed. "So tell me to fuck you and I will. Or are you chicken without Hinata around?"

Otonashi grimaced. "Hinata's not here."

"You're gonna scream first," said Noda, running his fingertip over the slickness his tongue had left. "But I wanna hear you ask me to do it."

Despite the pleased little shudder, Otonashi pushed himself up on his elbows and grabbed a handful of Noda's hair. "You should be asking _me_."

"I'll kiss you," said Noda, running his tongue over his teeth.

Otonashi jerked back. "No!"

"Ask me to fuck you or I'll kiss you, Otonashi." He pushed himself up onto his hands and leaned forward, licking his lips. "I'll make you suck my tongue like a bitch."

Otonashi frowned. "This is stupid. Either you wanna have sex or you wanna fight, but this is stupid."

"You're afraid of losing." Noda narrowed his eyes, his head resting in Otonashi's grip. "You're actually afraid."

Otonashi swallowed. Again, he felt the weight of Noda's attention, bearing down on him with an uncomfortable depth of understanding.

Otonashi said, "I'm not afraid of you."

Noda snorted. "It's not worth it, fighting a guy who acts like a little bitch. Doesn't mean anything when you win."

Otonashi frowned at him for a moment, then let go of his hair enough to punch him in the face. "You ripped my goddamn shirt, Noda."

Noda laughed, getting up, rolling out his shoulders. He headed for the bathroom attached to his room. Otonashi saw the light come on, heard running water, the sound of Noda brushing his teeth.

When he came back out, his mouth was wet, and the kiss he laid on Otonashi's lips tasted only of mint.

Otonashi grunted, and bit him. 

* * *

><p>Otonashi sure as hell was not sleeping in Noda's room. He'd left Noda the wet spot and he wasn't ashamed of it, not about to apologize. He'd broken into Hinata's room to drag Otonashi out in the first place, so Noda could damn' well deal with the clean-up.<p>

Instead, he staggered, sore and dazed, out into the common area, collapsing on a couch. He heard, from behind another closed door, the sound of Takamatsu screaming - No, Yes, No, Oh God Not There, Yes, _Yes, Yes_ - and stuffed his fingers in his ears.

The touch to his elbow made him jump. He sat up rapidly enough to make his head spin and saw TK, hand still outstretched.

TK turned his hand so it waited, palm-up in invitation. "What's the Story, Morning Glory?"

Otonashi winced. "It's not morning yet."

TK shrugged, and wiggled his fingers. Otonashi looked from TK's hand to his face, sighed, and took his hand. TK's hand was warm and strong, and he hauled Otonashi to his feet. The kiss he got for taking TK's hand was expected, but it wasn't invasive. TK had a soft mouth despite his thin lips, and he rubbed his nose against Otonashi's before he pulled away.

It was so unlike the bruising press of Noda's kiss that, for a second, Otonashi was unsettled. But TK's grip was strong and sure, and he wasted no time guiding Otonashi to the open door of the room he was originally meant to share with Matsushita V.

Inside, Matsushita was already in bed, half asleep, his arms behind his head. TK said, "Hey, Baby," and Matsushita cracked one eye open.

He sat up and, with TK, wasted no time in stripping Otonashi of the rest of his ravaged clothes. TK's hands were warm and slim; Matsushita's were rough and large. Otonashi found himself too tired to fight, and their mutual silence was a comfort. He let them strip him, let them pull him into the bed and settle his body between theirs. Matsushita's bulk was solid at his back, and TK tapped idle rhythms on his hip, deftly avoiding the freshest of his bruises.

The warmth and strange security, trapped between them, weighed him down. Otonashi mumbled, "Guys, 'm fallin' 'sleep."

Matsushita rumbled wordlessly in response, tucking Otonashi's head under his chin. TK just nuzzled his nose, and pulled his headband off, dropping it over the side of the bed.

Otonashi's last conscious thought was about TK's eyes, and how in the darkness they could have been any color at all.


	5. You Oughta Know

A/N: I plead chapter five! Set in and around episode five - the Testing Period episode.

Pairings for this chapter: Uh, well, Fujimaki/Ooyama, Noda/Takamatsu, and TK/Otonashi/Matsushida? But it's more like K+ rated... But can I get some props for referencing MusclesGlasses? Which is probably the Bean's favorite part of this whole fic...

DarknessCatchingFire, both of your reviews were awesome. I'm glad you like the story! I hope this chapter is worth rereading as well.

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><p>It was funny how a sunburn could heal overnight, if it wasn't bad enough. How skin could fade from ruined pink to new brown, how freckles sprouted stepping-stone pathways over shoulders and cheeks and nose. How the skin could still smell a little like sunshine, and still feel just a little too tight.<p>

Otonashi awoke to that tight feeling in his nose. It was ever so slightly alleviated by TK running his fingertip in slow circles between his eyes. Otonashi blinked his eyes open, eyes fluttering against the light filtering in through the blinds. He met TK's gaze and thought, _Oh_.

TK quirked a smile at him. "Good Mornin'," he murmured.

Otonashi furrowed his brow, and TK smirked, smoothing out the lines between his eyes with his finger. The pressure felt nice, easing a little of the tension in Otonashi's face.

From behind him, Matsushita V yawned. "'M hungry," he murmured, rubbing his face into Otonashi's hair.

"'M still tired," grumbled Otonashi in response.

TK gave a mild, exasperated little grunt and reached over Otonashi to thread his fingers into Matsushita's hair. Otonashi heard Matsushita sigh, felt him tuck his arms better around Otonashi so he could hold TK as well. Between them, Otonashi was dwarfed, but weirdly comfortable. They were both attractive enough, both kind, and though he wanted fiercely to know them both, there was no danger of caring too deeply.

Except, TK had called Matsushita "baby" the night before, and neither of them had disappeared.

He knew they were going to kiss before it happened, watched TK lean up onto his elbow and curl over him so he could reach Matsushita. He felt their breath together as it rushed over his shoulder.

Otonashi closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists. It wasn't fair.

"Don't be so tense," mumbled Matsushita, spreading his hands flat over Otonashi's belly. With his fingers splayed, Otonashi was almost completely covered. He was so warm. TK moved his mouth to Otonashi's cheek, his jaw, and sighed out through his nose.

Otonashi murmured, "I'm not tense."

"Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire," said TK, and took one of Otonashi's hands. He coaxed his fingers apart, spreading them. He pressed their palms together, and raised an eyebrow at him. His eyebrows were so blond, so fine, they were hard to see.

Otonashi grimaced, then twined their fingers. "Okay, so I'm tense."

"Not scared of me, are you?" murmured Matsushita.

Otonashi leaned back against him, just a little. He had to admit, in some ways he was intimidated by Matsushita's considerable girth, but he'd been nothing but gentle. "No."

Matsushita yawned. "Mm, 's good."

"Why'd you come get me?" asked Otonashi softly, watching TK's expressions.

TK shrugged. Then smiled, leaning in to kiss him. Otonashi let him, his eyes falling closed. It was another soft kiss, smooth and assured. Against Otonashi's mouth, TK murmured, "There must be fifty ways to leave your lover."

Otonashi winced. "He is _not_ my lover."

Matsushita sighed a little, and TK shook his head. "You Oughta Know, man."

Otonashi frowned, and pushed himself up. "Shut up. That's not-"

TK raised both his eyebrows, laying back with his hands behind his head. Matsushita gave him a similar, mild look, though he let his hands slip from Otonashi's hips.

Suddenly agitated, Otonashi slid out of bed, found his shorts and hitched them back on. As he left, he heard TK murmur a distressingly sympathetic, "Love is Hell," and Matsushita's grunted agreement.

Otonashi slammed the door. All of his clothes were in Hinata's room and he needed a good head of steam built up before he went to retrieve them.

It was all for nothing, because Hinata wasn't even there when he looked in.

The bed was rumpled, the pillows piled to one side, and Hinata's coat was gone from over the desk chair.

Matsushita and TK were hardly exclusive, but the way those words had fallen from TK's mouth with such ease made Otonashi's chest feel too tight. Maybe they could withstand it, but could he? Could he really be sure that he and Hinata wouldn't pass on?

He changed into a clean shirt and scrubbed at his face with the heel of his hand. Noda hadn't torn up his back, but his stomach and hips ached, the backs of his thighs, his knees. There was a meeting coming up, after breakfast. He had to go.

Despite the aches, he dressed, and left, walking out into the fog of the morning, feeling the chill cut down his throat. 

* * *

><p>For the entirety of the testing period, Otonashi watched Hinata die.<p>

He also saw why, exactly, Tsundere hadn't undressed for any of his partners. The muscles were just a little terrifying. When Noda found out about it, he'd tackled Takamatsu and demanded he wrestle.

The common room was irreparably damaged. The one comfortable couch suffered tears from Noda's halberd, and a few stains neither would confess to having made. The floor was scratched, scuffed by shoes where each had dug in to try and get purchase against the other.

Takeyama, acting as bewildered and unwilling witness, was able to confirm that it was, indeed, Noda who had put his elbow through the drywall. After he'd begun stuttering, Hinata had taken his shoulders in both hands and gently pulled him away from the entrance to the common room. And everyone else had decided that, perhaps, it would be best to find other places to relax.

Otonashi chose the roof, preferring the open sky, but when he moved to the stairwell, he heard voices suggesting it was occupied. Cursing his curiosity, he leaned up against the doorframe and heard Ooyama confessing to Fujimaki, under apparent duress, just why having to ask Tachibana on a date had upset him so deeply.

"I- I had to ask her out a-and I'd never even gotten to- to- "

"It wasn't like you could have told Yurippe."

"But I wanted to ask _you_!"

Fujimaki sighed. "You idiot."

Ooyama hiccuped.

Fujimaki murmured, "Stop crying. You're too beautiful."

"Don't call me that!"

"Stop crying."

At that point, Otonashi left them, because Ooyama didn't sound like he'd stop any time soon.

It was that sound, the sound of Ooyama sniffling and Fujimaki rumbling quiet reassurance that sustained him through the testing period. Even through the spasms of guilt he'd felt when he found out that they'd forced Tachibana to resign her post as Student Council President.

So that was a little harder to square with himself. He'd known from the start that the operation was a smear campaign, but stripping her of all authority meant that she was just - just another girl. What kind of man attacked a girl?

But he'd remembered Yurippe's words, her seething rage against an unfair God, and against the Angel that seemed to enforce his continued oppression. There was a reason they were there. There was a reason they fought. A reason for the way TK and Matsushita could settle into one another without words. For the way Ooyama could cry in front of Fujimaki. For the way Hinata had been avoiding him.

He knew it wasn't a coincidence, during Yui's first performance for Operation Tornado, that he and Hinata were stationed together. He'd seen Noda talking to Yurippe, and Yurippe's annoyance with him hadn't waned since he'd started talking to Tachibana as if she weren't an enemy.

Otonashi didn't think that was quite fair. They had to play at being students, and not once had Tachibana attacked him while they were in class, not even when their stage whispers plotting her embarrassment had very likely reached her. He had the sneaking suspicion that an explosion at the end of every test pushed the boundaries of anyone's suspension of disbelief.

Whether it was Yurippe's annoyance or the fact that, until recently, he and Hinata had been glued at the hip, he found himself watching from the roof of the gym with him, in the quiet and the dark.

The song filtered up to them, filling what would have been an awkward silence.

Otonashi swallowed. "That's a love song. Girls Dead Monster never played love songs before."

"No," said Hinata softly. "They didn't."

He turned to look at Hinata. "So Yui wrote it."

"Yeah," said Hinata. "She did."

"To you."

Hinata shrugged, looking away. "She's like a little girl."

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"She's not womanly. She's a little girl. Yurippe's more woman than Yui is." Hinata glanced up, his eyes narrowing. "Same with Angel."

"Tachibana- nh. What's she got to do with it?"

"She's like a girl too. No curves."

Otonashi frowned. He looked back out the window. "Is that all you think about?"

"Maybe it's just a coincidence, then," said Hinata.

Otonashi's shoulders hunched. He stared out the window, watching students flocking toward the cafeteria. They were all so plain and brown, dark hair and dark uniforms. He'd never seen any two of them hold hands, nor put their arms around one another, nor kiss. Even in the concerts, they'd all maintained a bubble of personal space. The girls never grabbed each other by the arms; the boys never punched each other's shoulders. They moved like schools of fish on unseen currents, never quite in unison.

"I'm sorry I ditched you."

Hinata snorted. "What're you talking about, Otonashi?" His tone was so light, so easy.

Otonashi turned and looked him over. Hinata looked back, placid and unruffled. "Y'need to focus on the mission," he said, gesturing to the window with the muzzle of his gun.

At that moment, the great blast from the fans rumbled through the floor. Otonashi turned and watched hundreds of meal tickets, like moths, rise on the wind and flutter in the dying light.


	6. Baby It's Cold Outside

A/N: Chapter six - corresponds to the ending of episode five and the prelude to Naoi's takeover. No real spoilers, but an adventure in the Introspection Room.

Hinata and Otonashi work things out. I love my Beta-Bean, but she is probably the reason this skewed so heavily toward Otonashi/Hinata. It's kind of adorable, though, right? RIGHT?

* * *

><p>Otonashi had wanted to talk to Hinata. But after Operation Tornado, they'd all gone to get food and he'd ended up with the mabo tofu, and all he could do was offer to let Hinata try it. He was absurdly relieved when Hinata accepted. They'd laughed, their mouths tingling and red, and something eased in his chest.<p>

Until Naoi had come with his troops and locked them all in the Introspection Room.

It was a small room, with two hard couches, an attached restroom, and one light panel in the ceiling that had been protected by plastic bolted to the concrete ceiling. The restroom didn't have a door, and the room, though it was on ground level, had bare concrete walls that maintained an unpleasant chill, even when it was populated by eleven people.

Yurippe said, "Well, that was interesting."

Fujimaki said, "I can have us out of here in five minutes. They didn't frisk me for my picks."

"They didn't frisk me at all!" cried Yui, folding her arms under her breasts.

"Wonder why," said Hinata, leaning his shoulder against Otonashi's.

Before Yui could erupt against Hinata, Yurippe said, "Don't. The rest of us are unarmed. We aren't prepared for a fight. We don't know what Naoi can do and I'm not going to attack an NPC."

Fujimaki huffed, and sat with his back to the door. "I'll be here if you change your mind, boss."

Yurippe sat primly in the center cushion of one of the couches. The springs wheezed their dissent. "We're going to spend the night here. Obediently. We don't have enough information not to."

Silently, Shiina took station on the cushion of the sofa to Yurippe's left. She toed off her shoes, sitting cross-legged, and bowed her head. "So we wait it out."

Yurippe kicked her shoes off as well, and lay with her head on the opposite arm of the couch, curled in a ball. She tucked her feet underneath Shiina's thigh and put her cheek on her arm. "Yeah."

Noda frowned, and the others jumped, just a little, when he set his halberd in one corner with a clang. He shrugged out of his jacket and came to the sofa, laying it over Yurippe's hips. "It's freezing in here."

She blinked up at him, then sighed a little. "You aren't lying."

Noda grinned. "So don't freeze."

Otonashi could feel Yui's hopeful gaze on Hinata by proximity, its intensity rolling over Hinata in waves and hitting all the innocent bystanders around them.

Ooyama came to her and offered his own coat. "Here. Mine should fit you. You won't be too cold."

When he smiled, his sweet, guileless smile, Yui was forced to accept. Otonashi didn't miss the way she shivered into the residual warmth in the cloth. But it was when Ooyama moved right to Fujimaki and was accepted into the shared warmth of his coat that there was a collective grunt of understanding.

Hinata shrugged out of his coat and threw it over Yui's legs. "There, squirt."

TK put his own over Shiina's shoulders. "Baby, it's Cold Outside."

He laughed when she raised a hand to smack him, and danced back out of the way. Matsushita just snorted and lay his coat down on the floor, so he and TK could both take up station on it.

Dryly, Yurippe murmured, "Our team is nothing if not resourceful."

Takamatsu came to her and lay his coat over her shoulders. "We have learned from the best."

Noda cuffed him with an arm tight around his waist. "Don't strip the rest of the way, you moron."

Otonashi, who was laying his coat down beside Matsushita's, looked up in time to see Hinata laugh and say, "There's the pot calling the kettle black."

Noda took the third cushion from the couch Yui was on and dropped it to the ground, leaving her feet dangling. "What the fuck's he going on about, pots and kettles?"

Takamatsu lay back on the cushion, his hips on the floor but his shoulders supported. "Haven't the foggiest."

Hinata started laughing, and Otonashi caught it, and he didn't stop until Noda punched him between the shoulders. Then he coughed, and Hinata held his arm and said, "Don't fight now, you idiot. We're in an enclosed space and you'd get blood on Yurippe's clothes."

Noda grunted, and lay down beside Takamatsu, tucking his arms behind his head. "Our coats're on'er. She'd be fine."

"Moron," murmured Hinata. But he curled up on Otonashi's coat, wrapping his hand tighter around his stomach. "Sheez, it's cold."

"Nobody fights," said Yurippe firmly.

Fujimaki tucked his arms around Ooyama, both of them shielded by his coat. "There's no point. What're we gonna do in the morning?"

"We need to know more. We'll just have to pass tonight the best we can." Yurippe sighed and tucked Takamatsu's coat a little better around herself. "Do what you have to."

Otonashi glanced down at Hinata, then let out a sigh. He lay beside him and tucked his arm around Hinata's waist. He felt TK's back against Hinata's, and soon, Takamatsu's against his own. He sighed.

Hinata mouthed, "Hi."

Otonashi leaned forward, brushing their noses together like TK had done to him. His lips were still tingling from the spicy tofu. He wanted nothing more than to press them to Hinata's.

"I wonder if they're gonna keep the light on us all night," rumbled Matsushita. "It's really harsh."

"There's no switch," said Takamatsu.

"I could try to get into the console up there," said Fujimaki. "Just looks like regular bolts."

"Don't break into it. I said _obediently_, didn't I?" said Yurippe. "If they realize we've broken into the lights they'll have a reason to keep us here longer."

"And they'd have a reason to come back in and bother us!" agreed Yui. She'd buttoned Ooyama's coat all the way down, and it was clear that Hinata had been right about her lack of curves. "The last thing I want is some creep walking in on me while I'm sleeping."

"So staying with us is okay?" said Hinata dryly.

"The lights are still on. I'd be less okay if I couldn't see you groping Otonashi."

Otonashi flushed, then lifted his head. "He isn't! It's cold!"

Yui's smirk had teeth in it. "Just checking."

"Stupid. You're all stupid," hissed Shiina.

With a great clank, the lights went out. When the humming of the fluorescent bulbs died down, the silence rang in the Introspection Room.

Then, in the chill dark, Hinata's hand slid over Otonashi's ass and squeezed. Otonashi leaned in close and bit his lip, taking a hard handful of his hair to keep from laughing.

"Well," said Yui. "At least we don't have to worry about the lights anymore."

As silently as he could, Otonashi embraced Hinata, holding him as tightly as he could. Losing warmth, TK and Takamatsu shifted closer around them to make up for the distance.

"Just go to sleep," said Yurippe, sounding annoyed.

"G'night, boss," they chorused, low and rough. She responded with a snort.

Hinata tucked his face under Otonashi's chin, and kissed the base of his throat. Otonashi held him as he hadn't done for days, and fell asleep more quickly than he'd expected. 

* * *

><p>The mission, while they tried to determine Naoi's status, was one of attendance in class. "Do what you want," Yurippe had said, "but don't disrupt the other students."<p>

Otonashi had planned to go to class and relax a little, sit near the window to catch the sun, but Hinata had other plans.

Before they even got to the classroom, Hinata caught Otonashi with an arm around his neck and hauled him into the boys' room. He stuffed his free hand against Otonashi's mouth to muffle the swearing, and slammed him up against the wall of one of the stalls.

Otonashi coughed, the breath knocked from him, but Hinata was there, his mouth hot and forceful over Otonashi's. Hinata tore at his clothes, yanking his tie open and biting roughly at his lips, his jaw. And, panting, Otonashi only spread his legs to let Hinata's thigh between them, kissing him feverishly. He threw his arms around Hinata's shoulders and groaned through his teeth, holding him so tightly he could feel his fingernails tearing at Hinata's coat.

He didn't care that it was the restroom. He didn't care that they might be caught. Otonashi could taste how desperately Hinata had missed him in return, could feel it in the way Hinata held the back of his neck. He pressed his body hard to Hinata's, forcing Hinata to work to pin him to the stall.

"Oto-oh. Otonashi," breathed Hinata, "Where were you, huh? When we were gonna get cleaned up and change and -"

Otonashi sighed, tipping his head back to let Hinata have his throat. "I showered first out of a-anybody."

"Hiding from me?" said Hinata softly, his mouth against Otonashi's collarbone.

Otonashi curled his hand around Hinata's hip. "No. Just got in while you were taking your sweet-ass time getting your coat back from -"

"Don't talk about her," hissed Hinata, his hands tightening on Otonashi's neck, his hair. "Now my goddamn coat smells and you were _gone_ when I got back-"

"Looking for me?" Otonashi rolled his hips, giving a pleased little shiver at the friction of it.

"Never did get you in the shower, did I?" murmured Hinata. He pushed Otonashi harder against the stall with a satisfying slam. "I'd had plans for you."

"Yeah?" Otonashi felt Hinata's fingers dig into his neck, and ground harder against him in response. "Has to be better than what I'm getting."

Hinata growled, biting at his jaw. "What've you been getting?"

"TK doesn't just beat-box in his sleep."

Hinata blinked up at him, eyes wide, and Otonashi savored the wolfishness of his slow-growing grin. He'd missed Hinata, and he couldn't quite hide it. The best recourse was to give up on the lie, to slide his fingers into Hinata's hair and let his smile grow in return.

"He taught me. If, you know. You're curious."

Hinata's look dissolved into a mixture of curiosity and disgust. "Wait a minute - how does that even _work_?"

Otonashi laughed. "Really well, actually." He shrugged, managing to look comfortable, even with Hinata pinning him to a wall. When Hinata groaned, his smile quirked. "You're curious. You're a pervert."

"What does that make you, my -" Hinata had to stop because the door to the restroom swung open. They scrambled into a stall and slammed the door, Hinata locking it with one hand. They pressed together into the back corner of the stall, listening as two boys wandered in, did their business, talked neutrally about nothing, and left.

Otonashi used the distraction to slide down the wall into a crouch, whisper-quiet. He pressed his mouth to Hinata's belly and hummed. "The main principle is breath control."

He felt Hinata shudder before he heard it in his voice. "Oh, hell."

"And the way you open your throat to make the bass deeper," murmured Otonashi, loosening Hinata's belt.

"Learned all that, huh?" breathed Hinata, one trembling hand already curling at the back of Otonashi's head. "That what to-ook you so long?"

Otonashi undid the button and the zipper, his hand slow and deliberate. As he slid Hinata's pants down his hips, he pressed his nose to the skin he bared, and breathed deep. He'd missed how Hinata _smelled_, a little like soap, a little like sweat. He sighed, murmured, "No. That wasn't it."

"O-otonashi. Babe -"

He looked up, then, and smiled. "That. No matter how many times I tell you to stop calling me that, you don't."

Hinata made a pained sound. "B-but -"

"I like it." Otonashi swallowed, looking up at Hinata, his expression as open and honest as he could make it. "I don't care when you say it. I want you to."

"You're fucking with my head." Hinata's hand tightened in his hair. "Y-you put me in this position and now -"

"I wanted you to listen." Otonashi rubbed his thumbs over Hinata's hips. "I was uncertain before, but I don't want to be."

Hinata's hand spread over Otonashi's head, combing gently through his hair. "Don't be."

Otonashi caught Hinata's wrist and kissed the inside of it. "Look at us. In a fucking public bathroom."

Hinata's voice took on a tone of pleading. "Otonashi."

"Sorry." Otonashi smiled a little and put his nose again to Hinata's belly. He breathed hot over the skin below his mouth and relished in the way Hinata whimpered. "Sorry."

He busied his mouth, then, taking Hinata's long, low moan for forgiveness. 

* * *

><p>Otonashi counted push-ups, watching Takamatsu train in class. His muscles gleamed; the pink towel around his neck flapped with every repetition; he gave a little grunt of exertion on every exhale.<p>

Hinata sat backwards in the desk in front of him, and glanced over his shoulder. Softly, he said, "Holy hell. Would you have thought?"

"I never got close enough to see it for myself," confessed Otonashi, putting his chin on his fist.

Hinata gaped. "You haven't - what were you doing that whole time?"

"When we were apart?" murmured Otonashi. At Hinata's nod, he shrugged. "Mostly I stayed with Matsushita V and TK. They let me stay even if I wasn't really. Up to anything."

Hinata's smile quirked. "How charitable."

"Yeah, they took pity on me," said Otonashi. He wanted to reach out and touch him, but Yui marched past them every fifteen seconds on her way to the bathroom. "What about you?"

"I _am_ physically capable of sleeping alone, you know?"

Otonashi raised an eyebrow, and Hinata half-smiled. "Shut up, Otonashi. Okay, fine. I just kinda bounced around. Mostly Fujimaki. Until Ooyama kicked me out."

Otonashi blinked, then glanced back to where Fujimaki was playing mahjongg in the back of the classroom. "Ooyama, huh?"

"Guy's assertive when he wants to be." Hinata smiled a little, leaning over the back of the desk. He'd have elaborated, but Naoi stomped into the room. Immediately the mahjongg players went out the window, Yui bolted, and Otonashi and Hinata had to watch in slow-growing horror as Noda just lay, dead asleep, over three desks.

As the tension escalated, Otonashi caught Hinata's eye. Silently, they nodded, and moved as one to grab Noda by the arms and legs and haul him bodily from the classroom.

It wasn't until they'd gotten well down the hall that Noda thought to struggle, and then he wriggled so violently that Otonashi thought it was just best to drop him. Hinata, evidently agreed enough to get Noda up against the wall before letting go.

From the floor, Noda swore. "I was gonna pound that little -"

"And completely ignore all of Yurippe's plans?" asked Hinata, his voice edged with a growl.

"Hell, she wouldn't mind! He woke me up!" groused Noda, rubbing the back of his head. "And then you bastards dropped me -"

"You were fighting us." Otonashi put his hand on his hip. "Like I was gonna hold on."

"Bitch."

"I'll kiss you, Noda," said Otonashi, feeling a rush of power at the threat. Noda eyed him, then gave a little shiver when Otonashi ran his tongue over his teeth.

It only took a second's glance at Hinata for Noda to understand. Noda pushed himself to his feet, never taking his eyes off of Otonashi, and dusted his pants off.

"You are some kinda fucked up, Otonashi," said Noda, but there was respect in it. He straightened his coat and turned, heading for the door.

Hinata blinked at his retreating back, then grabbed Otonashi's arm. "The hell did you just do?"

Mildly, Otonashi said, "He thinks I put my tongue up your ass."

"Holy _hell_! - Wait, the _fuck_ were you doing with him - hey! Otonashi!"

Otonashi just headed out the door after Noda, his hands tucked in his pockets. Saying it was nasty, but it was also a relief. He had more things to concentrate on than Noda's competitive fervor. He was going to talk to Tachibana, he'd decided. And getting a little peace while they dodged Naoi would give him enough time to get up the nerve to do it.


	7. Sexual Healing

A/N: Chapter seven: The Naoi Crisis, and the aftermath.

Pairings for this chapter: Too many to count. Orgy! It is very difficult to write an orgy while still obeying the rules of this website, believe you me. Hopefully it's not too bad...

Concrit welcomed, btw. My beta-Bean is a freezy Bean. She keeps putting her cold nose on me when it's good!

* * *

><p>Even without his memories, Otonashi had the feeling that he was too old for this. He'd had enough of terrifying moments, but they kept coming.<p>

Eating spicy tofu with Tachibana had been nice. The balance for that was the resignation of watching her fall asleep, shutting down in response to their helplessness. He'd left Hinata to meet her, and it had felt strangely empowering. The balance for that was the sick, dead feeling of hearing Yurippe on the handset, the sound of gunfire and screaming. The guilt for having left them behind. Tachibana's Hand Sonic phases were beautiful to behold, lovely and ominous. But in return, he had to find Hinata under Naoi's boot, bloodied and soaked by the rain. Where Tachibana had power and beauty, Hinata was rough, ravaged in the dirt.

And after, after he'd caught Naoi up in his arms and held him tight, had felt Naoi start to shake and sob, had felt Naoi's fingers clutch at his shirt, weak as dry twigs, he'd looked over to see Hinata struggle to his feet by himself, and Tachibana already gone.

Hinata had lifted Yurippe to her feet, and for once, she'd leaned on him. The other members of the Battlefront pulled themselves together, and still Naoi sobbed. Otonashi held him because he was real, and deserving, and worthy as anyone. Because Naoi felt small against him, and needed protection from the rain.

"Otonashi."

He looked up, seeing Yurippe standing over him. Her stockings were bare threads. Her fringe, rain-soaked and stringy, hung in her eyes.

"There isn't any reason for us to be out here any more, is there."

He looked down at Naoi. "No. I don't think so."

Naoi ground the heels of his hands into his eyes and hiccuped. "Where did the others go?"

"The NPCs? About the time you started bawling, the trances broke. Angel took them," said Yurippe.

Naoi's expression soured. He looked away. "I wasn't bawling."

Hinata held out his hand, and Otonashi took it, standing. Then he turned to Naoi, his gesture an offer. "We should get in out of the rain."

"You people make no sense." Naoi glared up at him, but slid his hand, cold and slim, into Otonashi's. As his emotion left him, Otonashi could feel the strength in his fingers. He had a potter's hands, an artist's hands.

Otonashi helped haul him to his feet, then pulled just a little harder, tucking Naoi under his arm. He didn't miss the way the boy flushed. He said, "You should stay with us."

Hinata said, "Wait, there's no - "

"I have my own dorm room. It's a single." Naoi lifted his chin. "I refuse to share."

"Okay," said Otonashi. He bent, retrieved Naoi's hat, and handed it to him. "But that doesn't mean you can't come hang out later, right?"

Naoi dusted off his hat and settled it on his head, though it did nothing to protect his head from the rain. They were all already soaked to the skin. "You'd want me to do that?"

"Can you be idiots inside?" asked Yurippe, moving away from Hinata. Already her wounds had healed, and she made a show of dusting herself off to make him grin.

Otonashi leaned down to Naoi's ear and said, "That means yes."

He straightened and knuckled his shoulder. "Think about it, okay?"

If Naoi answered, Otonashi missed it. Hinata already had an arm around his shoulders and was dragging him away, and Otonashi was almost instantly distracted by the severity of Hinata's limp.

"It's nothing, babe," said Hinata softly, giving him a half-smile. "But if you wanted to give me a hand, I'd be cool."

Otonashi slid his arm under Hinata's a little better, taking his weight, helping him up the stairs toward the dorm. Yurippe was ahead of them, and the rest of the Battlefront, piecing itself together, wasn't far behind. If Yurippe heard Hinata call him "babe," Hinata took the moment to compensate when she glanced over her shoulder at them.

"Nice socks, by the way. Very kinky."

Otonashi managed to dodge the attack, but the sound of Yurippe's ringing slap echoed long after it landed. "Pervert."

"Bitch," responded Hinata, and chuckled, watching her stalk away.

Otonashi rolled his eyes. "Lay off. It's been a long day."

"That you mostly got to spend inside with Angel." Otonashi's expression must have revealed his shock and hurt, because Hinata quickly changed the subject. "Were you really about to invite Naoi into our bed?"

"When did it become 'our bed'?" asked Otonashi, irked enough to refuse the answer.

"He's a skinny little twerp."

Otonashi grunted, shouldering his way through the door to the dorms first. "So're you."

Hinata frowned at him. "You were seriously gonna bring him in?"

"So it's not just about being part of the Battlefront?" murmured Otonashi.

Behind them, the rest of the Battlefront came inside, shedding sopping wet coats, stepping out of shoes. They left their clothes strewn about the common room to dry out. Ooyama had sustained a particularly explosive injury to his side, and needed help out of his coat. Fujimaki and Takamatsu readily obliged.

Hinata opened his mouth to answer, but Ooyama moaned, a rough, quiet little moan that had everything to do with pain and fear and the shivering relief of Fujimaki holding him down and sucking at his throat.

Matsushita V paused in the doorway to his room, looking thoughtful. He glanced to TK, who shrugged and murmured, "Sexual Healing, baby."

Ooyama whimpered, his head falling back against Takamatsu's shoulder. Takamatsu said, "An excellent coping mechanism."

Noda braced his halberd against the entrance to the common room. "I could handle that."

Fujimaki curled his hands over Ooyama's thighs and rubbed, up and down. "This was _not_ a good day."

"Worse than usual," agreed Matsushita V.

"Somebody gag Takeyama," murmured Hinata dryly.

As Takeyama, for the hundredth time, implored the others to call him by his pseudonym, Otonashi looked to Hinata. And understood. There was no way he could have brought Naoi back, not like this. Not when they needed to be with each other, to find their balance in this world again so that they might feel a little peace.

"Don't ask me where I got this," said Takamatsu, emerging from his room with a ball gag.

Immediately, among spluttering reactions ranging from outrage to disgust, Takeyama flushed a deep, dark red.

"Tsundere, you _freak_," growled Noda. "I like it."

"Open up," said Takamatsu, dangling the gag in front of Takeyama. "Or can you shut up on your own?"

"I was joking, for fuck's sake!" said Hinata, but already he was wriggling out of his bloodstained shirt, his skin dirty but whole.

"This is a little unorganized," said Ooyama, looking over Fujimaki's head at the rest of the room. "I mean, I'm all for it, but the floor's hard and - "

"Got it covered," said Matsushita V, hauling his mattress into the center of the common room. Noda leapt upon it with a whoop and was nearly immediately pinned by TK.

Above the sounds of their ardent wrestling, Takeyama submitted to the ball gag with a dangerously deep blush over his cheeks. Gently, Takamatsu removed his glasses and Takeyama's, stowing them together by their shoes. His smile was kind. He took Takeyama by the hand and guided him, step by careful step, into Matsushita V's hands.

Fujimaki lifted Ooyama, even though his wound had finally closed, and deposited him on the end of the mattress that wasn't occupied by TK and Noda. Ooyama said, "Thanks," looking embarrassed, and Fujimaki ruffled his hair even as he settled down over him on hands and knees.

Otonashi was startled out of watching by Hinata's hands on his hips, the insinuation of Hinata's body heat against his back. "Get out of your clothes already. We're getting dry."

"Not Otonashi! He wasn't even there until the end - " growled Noda, only to stutter into silence as Matsushita V slipped two indulgent fingers into his mouth. Noda didn't bite down.

Matsushita V said, "Relax. He's one of us. The end was important."

TK started beat boxing, humming assent. Noda shuddered, and Otonashi felt himself blush to the tips of his ears. He knew they were all watching him as Hinata efficiently stripped him naked. Judging for themselves, whether or not they wanted him to stay. Even Takeyama, his mouth red and stretched around the gag, took that moment to weigh him.

Hinata gave him a push so that he nearly stumbled.

He said, "C'mon, babe."

Otonashi swallowed. He toed out of his shoes, stepped out of his pants, pulled off his wet socks. And still Hinata waited.

Hinata's smile greeted him when he finally came forward, and it was enough to erase his doubt.

* * *

><p>Otonashi lay, some time later, with his head on Noda's stomach, and his body covered half by Takeyama, half by TK. He could feel Noda breathing, slow and even, in the sort of drowsy satiation that always came over him after sex.<p>

The little things came back to him. The way Takamatsu managed to blush from his chest to his cheeks and still look formidable. The small pink patches at the corners of Takeyama's mouth when they'd decided he'd had enough of the gag. The way Fujimaki ran his hands through the hair of anyone who kissed him. How TK and Matsushita V could share a look and move in tandem, no words needed. Noda's intimidating flexibility, Ooyama's complete lack of physical fear, Hinata's ability to laugh just after he came.

Someone had procured a blanket, and it wasn't enough to cover everyone completely, but they managed well enough. They couldn't all fit completely on the mattress without weaving their bodies together, tangles of arms and legs. Curled close enough together, they didn't feel the chill. The rain was a distant patter outside, beyond the room they'd made for themselves.

"Sometimes I wonder what the girls do," said Ooyama, sounding mildly dreamy.

Otonashi felt Noda twitch beneath him. There was a long, collective pause as each man tried to mentally recreate the rather frantic orgy they'd just had, substituting the girls as participants.

"Ooyama, not fair," groaned Hinata, covering his face with his hands.

"It just means he wants to go again," said Fujimaki, sounding affectionate and resigned at once.

Ooyama squawked. "No! I just - "

"Mmn," said Otonashi, turning his head and nosing the curls at the base of Noda's belly. It was readily apparent that Noda was still fantasizing, and Otonashi hissed as Noda slid his hand into his hair and gave him an encouraging push.

"You just wanna think about the girls, or you just wanna get us hard. Just be honest, Ooyama," murmured Hinata. "We don't mind."

Ooyama made a frustrated noise. "I meant more like - to get over it. To move on without, uh. Passing on."

"C'mon," whined Noda, giving Otonashi's head another shove.

Otonashi reached up and grabbed his wrist, brought his hand down, and bit the heel of it. Noda hissed, his fingers tensing.

Matsushita V rumbled, "Who knows. Ask 'em."

"No, thanks," said Ooyama, sighing.

Takeyama yawned against Otonashi's chest. Otonashi could feel him fiddling with one of the longer ends of TK's hair. Otonashi released Noda's hand and felt some vague satisfaction as Noda took it out of range without comment.

"Just go to sleep," said Fujimaki.

"Good Night, Good Night," murmured TK, gently extracting Takeyama's fingers from his hair. He rested both their hands together on Otonashi's chest. The weight of it was warm and solid.

Otonashi sighed, then yawned. When Noda's hand touched him again, it was simply to lay it on his head. He didn't move it, and Otonashi let it stay.


	8. Building a Mystery

A/N: Chapter eight: Otonashi has his memories, or at least the ones Naoi could hypnotically release.

DarknessCatchingFire, you are _so sweet_ and your review made my day. Thank you so much! I only get about an hour to write every night but it's definitely a habit I try to maintain. This chapter's pretty heavy on the HxO.

The beta-Bean loves her some Hinata. Also Ooyama. I love Ooyama. Ooyama!

* * *

><p>"We missed you at dinner."<p>

Otonashi looked up and saw Ooyama, flashlight in hand, approaching him on the roof. He opened his mouth to apologize, then just let out a rough sigh.

Ooyama sat beside him, clicking the flashlight off. He looked up at the stars and was, for a moment, quiet.

"I'm sorry. Naoi's hypnotism stuff takes a lot out of a guy," said Otonashi.

Ooyama nodded a little. "Yeah. Hinata's about chewed through the ropes-"

"What?"

"Kidding." Ooyama gave him a smile. "I asked him to wait. He's waiting."

Otonashi considered playing dumb about why, of all people, Hinata would be singled out. He gave up on it and said, softly, "Nobody comes here unless there's a lack of - some kind of purpose in their lives."

"You figured yours out? Or remembered it, I mean," said Ooyama, tucking his arms around his knees.

"I had a sister. Her name was Hatsune. She had cancer. I was useless to her. She died on my back." Saying the brief, heavy sentences was somehow easier. He took deep breaths between them. "I was going to be a doctor. I died in a train wreck."

Ooyama nodded a little, and glanced over. "So you do remember."

Otonashi nodded. "I guess I always knew why Yurippe was angry. It just. It just hit me. How stupid, how arbitrary, how unfair it was."

"Arbitrary is a good word," agreed Ooyama, his tone patient. "If God exists, I guess we'd want our lives - and their endings - not to be arbitrarily decided."

"Selfish, isn't it?" murmured Otonashi.

Ooyama hummed. He put his chin on his knees and closed his eyes. "I guess. But sometimes it's not wrong, being selfish."

Otonashi sighed. "Remember how... how you said it was like a scavenger hunt?"

Ooyama half-smiled. "Mhm. Leave behind a boyfriend?"

"No." Otonashi rubbed his face with one hand. "I didn't leave anyone behind at all."

"You were it, huh?"

"Nobody serious, at least." He ran a hand through his hair. "I was a good-for-nothing for a long time. I didn't - I didn't trick or anything, but I let people buy me things."

Ooyama's eyebrows rose. "That's heavy."

"I guess I'm saying it's hard to know if I'm, uh. Gay or not."

"Or both?" murmured Ooyama.

Otonashi swallowed. "Some days, I think I wanted to say 'neither.'"

Dutifully, Ooyama chuckled. He looked over. "So how are you making it make sense?"

"You mean being gay or not versus all the sex?" asked Otonashi wryly. When Ooyama laughed, he shook his head. "I dunno. When in Rome. It seems to - be centering. Almost meditative."

"You haven't been on the receiving end when Fujimaki's in a mood. I would like to see you try and meditate."

Otonashi shouldered him. "Come on. You know what I mean."

"You can trust a guy to watch your back if you can trust him to -"

"Ooyama!"

Ooyama ducked his head. "Okay, okay. Sorry. But if you're not gay, you've got me fooled."

"Why focus on that?"

"It's who you are, instead of who you didn't get to be. Yeah, being angry makes sense. It keeps you here, and it keeps you fighting. Your aim's gotten better." Ooyama shrugged. "But just because the way you died fucking sucked doesn't mean we have to talk about it _all_ the time, and I kinda wanna know."

Otonashi bit his lip. "Hunh. You've always been certain?"

"Not until Fujimaki," said Ooyama truthfully, without a hint of shame. "But even then, I'm only really certain that he's it for me. In this lifetime, and maybe the next one."

"How can you know and not pass on?" murmured Otonashi, putting his cheek on his fist.

Ooyama shrugged. "Finding him and being at peace are two different things."

"So your peace has nothing to do with - "

Ooyama put his hand to Otonashi's mouth. His fingertips were soft, but cold. He gave Otonashi a small smile. "I'm going to go back in. You should come. It's getting pretty late."

With that, Ooyama pushed himself to his feet and clicked the flashlight back on, pointing it to the door to the roof. Otonashi grunted and rose, following Ooyama inside.

It didn't escape him that Hinata was waiting at the base of the stairwell.

Ooyama just nudged Otonashi gently before stepping around him, saying, "G'night, Lieutenant."

Hinata nodded to him, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

Otonashi watched him for a moment, the way Hinata's shoulders were hunched, the way his expression was tight and carefully blank. He stepped close, then, and tucked an arm around Hinata's neck, speaking into his ear.

"It's Yuzuru."

Hinata froze, before he gave a little shiver.

"Hideki," he whispered.

Otonashi kissed the side of his throat. "'Babe' is shorter."

"Yuzuru is more honest," said Hinata, putting his hands on Otonashi's hips.

Otonashi swallowed at the sound of his own name. He hid his face against Hinata's shoulder. "Were you waiting?"

"Naoi said he saw you crying."

"I was."

Hinata slid his hand up Otonashi's back, and squeezed the back of his neck. "I was waiting."

Otonashi bristled. "Why? For me to tell you about it?"

"Because you were crying," said Hinata. "And I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"Everything heals eventually. Especially here," said Otonashi.

"Yu -"

Otonashi put his hand over Hinata's mouth. Hinata's lips were warm and soft. "Just. Fuck me. Okay? I'll tell you about it later, you can ask whenever you want. Tomorrow."

Hinata let out a slow breath through his nose. Then he smiled. "Okay, babe. Okay." 

* * *

><p>It happened in the early morning, before the sun came up. Hinata put his mouth to Otonashi's ear and breathed, "Tell me?"<p>

So Otonashi had. About Hatsune, about manga, about working his ass off at all hours, being wet and cold and hungry. About the feeling of someone dying against him. Not the way they've died here. The real way, the permanent way. The life of a cherished person irrevocably slipping away. And he hadn't _noticed_.

Hinata had kissed him then. Not his mouth, not to silence him. But his shoulder, his collarbone, the side of his throat.

"She was happy."

Otonashi cringed away, putting one hand over his face. "Hinata, stop -"

"She was happy. She loved you, and she was with you. You gave her peace."

"Stop, just. Stop." Otonashi could hear his voice break. "Hinata -"

"Let me. Yuzuru." Hinata kissed just behind his ear, his hand moving to cover Otonashi's, catching the tears before they rolled down his cheeks.

Otonashi swallowed. He took a deep breath, then another. "That moment, when the trains hit. Just before everything - stopped. I felt weightless. Absolutely, perfectly weightless. Like a mind without anything holding it down."

Hinata put his leg over Otonashi's thighs, pressed their chests together. "Before it stopped?"

Otonashi shivered. He let himself put his arms around Hinata, and found his fingers clutched at him. "I don't know."

Hinata hummed. "I got hit by a truck. Kind of silly, right?" he murmured, lifting his head to look down at Otonashi. "Everything hurt and nothing else mattered. I couldn't even regret anything. I was too busy. Everything shut down at once, until it didn't even hurt."

"It stopped hurting?"

Hinata nodded. "That's dying, you know? When you don't feel the pain."

Otonashi swallowed. "Oh. Um."

"Maybe it was different for you, huh?" asked Hinata, without a hint of judgment.

"It started to hurt when I lost consciousness. That was when it hurt," said Otonashi, looking away.

Hinata kissed the side of his neck. He pressed his forehead to the side of Otonashi's, and sighed.

"TK's teaching Matsushita V to dance," he murmured, rubbing Otonashi's chest. "It's pretty cute."

"Yeah?"

Hinata smiled. "Yeah. Not the breakdancing or anything, but the box step and those weird hand gestures. And the singing."

Otonashi half-smiled. "The singing?"

"Ye-eah," said Hinata, smiling wryly. "It's gotten bad. The two of them are the most unbelievable kind of tone-deaf."

"Ouch," said Otonashi softly. He reached up and touched the side of Hinata's face, tugging gently on his bangs. "Did you have your hair like this, when you were alive?"

"Only once I stopped playing baseball," said Hinata softly, shaking his head. "Things kind of... went downhill after that."

Otonashi swallowed. "Tell me?"

"It's a downer story, babe."

"Hideki," said Otonashi, and saw Hinata's expression soften.

Hinata sighed, and said, "Okay. Okay," and told him. 


	9. Are You In

A/N: Chapter nine: The morning before the fishing trip. Pairings: Noda/Takamatsu, Fujimaki/Ooyama, Matsushita/Hinata, TK/Otonashi, Hinata/Otonashi. Also Naoi!

DarknessCatchingFire, thanks again! The hard part about Hinata and Otonashi is that I'm eventually going to have to reconcile all of this with Otonashi's choices as the rest of the anime plot progresses. ...Hopefully I'll do that alright. Eeh?

My Beta-Bean recommends you do not talk about this chapter in polite company. Instead, divert attention with a polite cough - ahem. Ahem-hum.

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><p>Otonashi woke to Hinata's voice, tinged with a hint of hysteria. He couldn't tell if it was panic or amusement.<p>

"What in seven hells are you _doing_?"

Otonashi swung his feet out of bed, found a pair of shorts and pulled them on. Hinata's silhouette filled the doorway, and for a moment Otonashi thought about how solid he looked.

"Th-this. This is s-suh-so-o emb-barrassing," stuttered Ooyama.

Otonashi came up behind Hinata, who'd gotten reasonably dressed in sleep pants and a t-shirt, and looked over his shoulder into the common room.

"Bicep curls," said Fujimaki, with a grunt.

Noda, from the sofa, said, "He's teaching, shut up."

"Gnh," said Hinata.

Otonashi flushed, and took a moment to rearrange himself while Hinata blocked the view. "You have to admit, he's technically right."

It looked, at first glance, like some twisted yoga pose. Fujimaki was on the carpet, knees apart, his face stern with concentration, Ooyama's back held against him by both arms under Ooyama's knees. Ooyama's knees were pressed to his chest, his head bowed forward. The two were naked as day and, from what Otonashi could see, Fujimaki had buried himself inside Ooyama. Without moving his hips.

Hinata turned on him, mouth open, then sagged. "Technically."

Otonashi gave him a companionable pat on the shoulder. He watched as Fujimaki went through a few more lifts, using his handholds on the backs of Ooyama's knees to maneuver Ooyama's weight in a measured repetition. And was, briefly, distracted by the way Ooyama's hands grasped, white-knuckled, at Fujimaki's wrists. The way his toes curled ineffectually as his feet dangled.

"Is it even comfortable, being bent in half like that?" asked Otonashi. He came to stand with the small audience that had gathered around them on the floor. Only Noda and Takamatsu dared sit on the ruined sofa.

"Ask his dick," said Takamatsu, already shivering with envy. "He's a show-off."

Ooyama squawked, then shuddered, letting his head fall back against Fujimaki's shoulder. "Shu-hut up. You were the one who w-wanted to know how."

"I think Ooyama's probably the only one of us who's light enough," said Matsushita V contemplatively. "Though I could probably manage it with Hinata or Otonashi. They're scrawny."

Hinata flushed, eyes narrowing. "I'm not scrawny!"

"And this is not actually physical training!" agreed Otonashi.

"Says who?" grunted Fujimaki, sweat pouring down his back. "Ain't easy."

"I could do you," growled Noda, pointing at Matsushita V's chest.

"Idiot," grumbled Hinata.

"Prove it," said Takamatsu. Already he was a riotous shade of pink.

Matsushita V held up both hands. "Not even a little curious."

"Pussy. Fine. 'Mere, Tsundere," said Noda, like Takamatsu hadn't been hoping for it.

"You're all exhibitionists," murmured Hinata, trying and failing to keep the fondness out of his tone.

Ooyama smiled, kneading Fujimaki's wrists. "M-aybe you're jus' a voyeur."

"Have you guys even had breakfast yet?" asked Otonashi, fairly distracted with the chaos of Takamatsu and Noda preparing to leave yet more stains on the couch. "You're awfully energetic."

"Am not," said Hinata, sounding only faintly petulant. He'd about given up the farce, both hands flat against his stomach. Otonashi knew that sign, knew Hinata's belly was one big erogenous zone.

"Still watching, though?" asked Ooyama, his tone rougher than before. Below him, Fujimaki had started to roll his hips, losing his control as he panted against Ooyama's throat.

"No, not there! Not there, No-oda-_aah_-!" cried Takamatsu.

Coming from behind, Otonashi tucked his arms around Hinata. It felt right. Moreso when Hinata's hands shifted to his wrists, holding loosely, before moving back to his hips to pull them better together. He could feel Hinata's pulse thundering below his skin, could feel the shakiness of his breath.

And still, proud, defiant Hinata lifted his chin and said, "Counting reps."

It made Ooyama laugh, which made Fujimaki swear. Otonashi scraped his fingernails down Hinata's belly, finding the hem of his shirt and lifting it. He could feel Hinata's muscles flexing, the little sharp gasp at fingertips on skin. Hinata wasn't scrawny at all. They were nearly the same height, and Hinata's hands were big enough to curl over his hips, strong enough to leave fingerprint bruises as he pulled them together.

He liked that. Even Ooyama, smallest of them, was tough as hell, could trade barbs while getting his brains fucked out of him. There was something reassuring in it, how strong it felt to be with them. How strong he had to be to fit in.

"Otonashi," said Hinata, soft and rough. "You aren't thinkin' of trying it, are you?"

Otonashi grinned against the back of his neck. Hinata shivered, but Otonashi could _feel_ the way Hinata's hips twitched. "Thinkin' of passing you to Matsushita."

"Giving up on me already?" asked Hinata, though they both turned their heads toward Matsushita V.

Otonashi snorted. "Never. I think you want me to watch."

He felt Hinata's knees weaken, and caught him. Hinata muttered, "Oh, hell."

Hinata had told him, once, that he couldn't pass on. Couldn't be content with what he'd gotten. From the tone of his voice, he still wasn't. Couldn't be.

Otonashi felt that hunger, down to his bones. He shoved Hinata's shorts down, and forced him to step out of them with a push. And didn't let up on the pressure until Hinata walked on his own, volunteering himself.

Matsushita didn't pass up on the opportunity for strength training. He even teased Fujimaki about it, once he'd gotten hold of Hinata, because Hinata was a good deal heavier.

By that point, Fujimaki didn't care, and Hinata only growled at Matsushita to get on with it. In the growl was a hint of fear, a tiny bit of intimidation that escalated into a yelp as Matsushita did as asked, starting to prepare him.

"No... no, don't! Please!" cried Takamatsu.

Otonashi watched as Hinata relaxed, hands kneading Matsushita's forearms, then acquiesce to him, letting him in. The way Hinata's brows drew together on a grimace with every inhale, the way his chest expanded upward, away from his knees. The way Matsushita folded him in half with such grace that Hinata only sighed.

"Use your abs," said Ooyama sleepily. At this bit of coaching, Otonashi glanced down and saw Ooyama comfortably nestled against Fujimaki's chest, the two of them content as cats. "Hold yourself straight up."

"How'd you figure that out?" asked Otonashi, turning his gaze back to Hinata. Hinata was already trying to follow Ooyama's advice, pressing his own chest to his knees. Otonashi could see the exertion in the way his arms flexed over Matsushita's.

"That's what I'd like to know," came a voice from the stairwell behind him. It was Naoi, sounding startled, a little rough, and incredibly young.

Ooyama couldn't muster the strength for a wary look. He murmured, "Practice."

Otonashi turned and found Naoi, fully dressed, trying to look aloof. He was failing utterly, and Otonashi only felt a small tinge of self-satisfaction as he noticed Naoi's eyes diving from his face to his crotch.

"Yes, oh, don't stop- !" cried Takamatsu.

"Morning," said Otonashi.

Naoi's attention snapped back to his face. "You were late to breakfast. I wanted to see y- ...to see what was keeping you."

"There's something I want to see," said Otonashi. He turned back to Hinata, and realized Hinata had started squirming in Matsushita's grip.

"No, come on-n, he's like twelve!" cried Hinata, his head falling forward.

Naoi frowned. "I am not!"

"Hinata," said Otonashi. And then, "Naoi. Did you want to stay?"

Naoi swallowed. "No."

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!" cried Takamatsu. Naoi subtly twitched with every cry.

Fujimaki snorted against Ooyama's hair, and Ooyama smiled behind his hand.

"Oh, _hell_," groaned Hinata, with feeling.

Naoi shifted his weight from foot to foot. "Um."

"It's just this thing we do," said Otonashi, turning his attention back to Hinata. He dug his fingernails into his palm to keep his voice steady. "As a group."

He watched Hinata lift his head and meet his gaze. Saw Hinata smile, wryly, then lose his expression to a rough shudder. Behind him, Matsushita V found his rhythm.

"You're all perverts," said Naoi. "Except you, Otonashi. You aren't-"

"But I do," said Otonashi, cutting him off. "We all do."

He heard Naoi jump and squeak, and then the sound of TK's laugh and quiet, "Are You In?"

"Don't touch me!" growled Naoi.

"You're gonna break me in half!" cried Takamatsu.

Otonashi felt TK's hands land on his shoulders, easily finding a new perch. He felt protective of this space, defensive against Naoi's judgment. And yet.

He leaned back against TK's chest and felt the jealousy rolling off of Naoi in waves.

Softly, Otonashi said, "I know who you are, Ayato. I'm asking if you want to stay."

Otonashi felt TK's hands slither down his bare sides, felt TK rocking him from side to side. He heard TK softly humming, felt his breath warm down the side of his throat.

"This is why you guys don't pass on," said Naoi softly. "This is how you're evening it all out."

"In part," said Otonashi mildly, watching Hinata start to lose himself to Matsushita V.

Naoi came up beside him. "I'm not ready to pass on."

Otonashi glanced over to Naoi and half-smiled. "So watch and learn."

Naoi flushed, but nodded. Otonashi turned away from Naoi, let TK hold him, and watched Hinata as he'd promised. There would, he realized, be plenty of time to teach. 

* * *

><p>Otonashi ducked his head under the spray of the shower and felt the water work its way through his hair, down to his scalp. The dull roar of water over his ears was soothing, and the heat helped his muscles relax.<p>

Naoi had watched, his face impassive but for the color in his cheeks. He hadn't asked to be touched, and so none of them had offered. Otonashi let himself be busy with TK, and TK took it upon himself to make it as difficult as possible for Otonashi to keep his focus on Hinata.

And then, like a shadow, Naoi had left. Otonashi, drained and still a little oversensitive, had sought the privacy of Hinata's room and shower.

He didn't jump when he heard the bathroom door open. He knew, the moment the shower curtain was pulled back, that it was Hinata. He didn't bother to open his eyes, just reached for him.

"You're sticky."

Hinata snorted dryly. "You got off easy."

Otonashi pulled Hinata into the spray and said, "So was it worth it?"

"Yeah," said Hinata softly. "Yeah."

Otonashi opened one eye and leaned out of the water to see him better. "Got no balance?"

"My feet are asleep."

"Still?"

Hinata shrugged, leaning against the wall of the shower. He stretched one leg, then the other. "Takes a while to get the feeling back, I guess."

Otonashi rubbed Hinata's hips, leaning Hinata up against himself instead. He felt Hinata's arms come up around him, hands loose against his back.

"Are you seriously gonna fuck Naoi?"

Otonashi blinked. Hinata looked away. "Because that's kind of where I've gotta draw the line. His crush on you is a little -"

"Threatening?" asked Otonashi, his disbelief cutting through his surprise.

Hinata flushed. "He's going to fight dirty if he thinks he's got a chance!"

"You don't have any problems fucking around," said Otonashi softly.

Hinata's hands tensed. "That's different. It's equal. The guy made me feel inferior to a clothespin. That's _not_ equal. That's not - look. That's. You just have to pick. Okay?"

Otonashi sighed. He leaned forward, putting his cheek to Hinata's jaw. "He's here because nobody ever recognized him for who he was. You think I could have made him leave?"

He felt Hinata wince. He paused, then pressed his lips to Hinata's throat, just below his ear. "What do you call me? You haven't said it at all today."

"Babe," answered Hinata, like it had been drawn out of him on strings.

"You really think I want to encourage him to pull that kind of shit toward you?" murmured Otonashi.

"I can take care of myself," said Hinata. He pressed his palms flat to Otonashi's back.

Otonashi nipped the skin beneath his mouth. "I don't particularly want to have sex with everyone I'm nice to. I'm not some dick on legs like Noda."

Hinata grit his teeth. "I know that, for fuck's sake."

"Act like it, maybe. You know what would've happened if I shut him down."

"I know." Hinata sagged a little.

"You forgot?" Otonashi moved away from him, grabbing the soap. He lathered it between his hands, began to wash Hinata's belly. "You just happened to forget that I think you're fucking gorgeous? Confidence is sexy, remember?"

"Babe," said Hinata, then gasped when Otonashi bit hard at the base of his throat. "Fuck, I just -"

"Don't say it," said Otonashi, grinding viciously against him to shut him up.

Hinata groaned, then caught Otonashi's shoulders in a tight grip. His jaw worked around non-words, but then he shuddered into a smile. "I'm a goddamn' dirty pervert a-and we're never gonna run out of ways to fuck."

Otonashi kissed him so hard he saw stars, one hand fisted in Hinata's hair. He felt Hinata writhe obligingly against him, felt Hinata's hands clutch at him. He wanted to be grateful that Hinata _got it_ without the rest of the words. He had the feeling Hinata knew it, in the moments Otonashi let him be tender and actually wash him off.

Some minutes later, Hinata reached behind Otonashi to turn off the shower. He licked at the water clinging to Otonashi's neck, even when Otonashi began to shiver.

"It's cold," said Otonashi, giving him a shove.

Hinata said, "Mmn. So be cold."

Otonashi said, "Let me get a towel."

Hinata said, "Tastes better this way."

"Pervert," said Otonashi, but felt the thrill of Hinata's hot mouth moving over cold skin, raising goosebumps on his shoulder.

Hinata smiled, all teeth. "Mhm," he murmured, "pervert with ideas. Tons of 'em."

"Oh," said Otonashi, letting his head fall back. "Don't run out."

"Sir, yes Sir."


	10. Practice Makes Perfect

A/N: Hi! Sorry, yes, hello, it's been quite a while, hasn't it? There's this incredible drug called Teen Wolf and I kind of got completely addicted. It ate my brain.

Anyway! This chapter takes place in and around episodes eight and nine. Spoilers for the train wreck, Yui, and the Shadows (as in - if you don't know what they are, don't read any further if you don't want to find out).

Pairings: Otonashi/Hinata, Ooyama/Fujimaki, Fujimaki/Naoi(/Noda?)

Thank you thank you thank you to all those who reviewed: Starr3200, HotWok31 (Your review hit it on the nose XD), ScarredAngelWings, Garfakcy-chan, and my dear DarknessCatchingFire. And of course, props to my beta-Bean, without whom I would have never chosen a tortoise.

* * *

><p>The thing Otonashi remembered most about Igarashi was the sound of his voice. The way the warm, rough tone came out of the total darkness, echoing off of the walls of the underground. It was like heat, like sunshine, like a safe blanket.<p>

That voice was what Otonashi held, when the need to hide just how badly he was injured kept him from embracing Igarashi himself. It drowned out the torturous whine of his own conscience, telling him he couldn't possibly be doing enough for the people that relied on him.

Igarashi trusted him, and backed him up. Defended him. And, once, had kissed him so fiercely Otonashi nearly cried out at the pain of Igarashi gripping his hips.

Igarashi had taken it for refusal, and hadn't pushed the issue. Otonashi had been forced to let it rest. He still lay beside Igarashi later, feeling the life slip out of him, and wanted nothing more than to hear his voice saying he'd made the right decision. Saying that, even though they were all dying, he'd known Otonashi had done the best he could.

When he'd woken from the intense memory, his head on Kanade's chest, he'd realized that he wanted the same thing from her. He wanted her to tell him she knew he'd done his damnedest. He wanted to show her that he could handle it. That everything would, whether or not it turned out okay, have meaning.

And that was the point, wasn't it? Meaningful existence gave the souls in their world a chance to move on. With Kanade as arbiter, he would guide the others to find meaning, to find peace, as he had in the underground.

He saw Igarashi's warm eyes on Kanade's passive face, and wanted that warm-blanket feeling again.

He thought Yui would be easy.

Finding peace and meaning would always be exhausting, he learned. And as he bore the trial of trying to bring Yui's dreams to reality, he was too tired to focus on anything else.

Until he heard Hinata paving a quiet path of love with words Otonashi could almost carry in his hands. Hinata was so sure, so simple, so honest, Otonashi could hear the glass breaking, could feel Yui's shock, could taste their slow-growing affection.

And Yui, content in the knowledge that _it could have happened,_ smiled and let it lift her.

Hinata had given his whole heart without thinking twice, and it had worked like nothing Otonashi had the courage to try. He asked what Hinata would do next, and Hinata said he would stay.

"There are still people here I'm worried about," said Hinata, barely hiding the tremor in his voice. It was a request, a tenuous plea.

Again, Otonashi stumbled across a baseball field to keep Hinata from moving on. He threw his arms around Hinata from behind, and though his own knees were weak he held Hinata upright with the strength he had left.

Against Hinata's shoulder he said, "Yeah. Worry. You should. You realize we're all just winging it. You realize we're so fucked. We're _so_ fucked, Hinata."

Hinata's shoulders shook. He began to laugh.

Roughly, he said, "Trying to scare me, babe?"

"You son of a bitch," said Otonashi, burying his face against the back of Hinata's neck. "You meant it, didn't you."

"Every word," said Hinata, letting out a shaky sigh.

Otonashi let it sink in, let the hollow feeling in his chest carve out new ambition. He'd stay. He had to stay. He couldn't pass on if he felt like this.

But Otonashi could still taste his own dread as thickly as his devotion when Hinata breathed, "Hey. Do you think it's possible to love more than one-"

He clapped his hand over Hinata's mouth, tightly enough to feel Hinata's teeth against his palm.

"Shut up. Shut _up_."

The first cool droplet to hit the side of his hand was followed quickly by another. Hinata hiccuped.

And then Hinata brought his hands up to Otonashi's wrist, and pulled Otonashi's hand from his mouth.

"It's getting dark. We need to go in."

Otonashi took his hand back and wiped it on his pants. "Yeah. Okay."

When Hinata turned, the setting sun was at his back. His face was shadowed, his expression unreadable. But the kiss he gave Otonashi came from damp lips, his hands on Otonashi's shoulders clutching just a little tightly.

Otonashi slipped one hand into Hinata's hair and kissed him back, ignoring the tear trails on his cheeks, coaxing Hinata's lips to part for him. He stroked his tongue between them over and over, until he could feel Hinata relax. The sigh that escaped them both was a stronger breath.

When Hinata's hands slipped up under his shirt, Otonashi moaned, soft and rough, and arched against him.

"Inside, come on," breathed Hinata. "Please, let's go in."

"'S dark. Won't be seen," said Otonashi, loath to let him go. He dug his fingers into Hinata's hips. "Just - get to the grass?"

Hinata shivered, moving his mouth to Otonashi's jaw, then licking down his throat. Otonashi tipped his head back. "Think about it. All those - nnh - grass stains? Wrecking the back of my shirt?"

"You are the nastiest-" said Hinata, before he cut himself off with a gasp. The sound of plastic scraping over dirt made Otonashi's stomach sink to his knees.

Hinata looked back. His foot had nudged Yui's empty helmet.

Otonashi fisted his hand in Hinata's collar. "Inside. You're right. Let's go in."

"I'm not really… feeling it. Any more."

Otonashi winced. "Come on. Come in. I'll let you do anything you want. Anything."

He knew he was pleading. He knew it was pathetic.

But Hinata tore his eyes from the empty helmet and took a step toward Otonashi. He let Otonashi turn him toward the dorms. He let himself be led.

They walked back in silence. Otonashi didn't try to press any harder, only leaving his hand fisted in the front of Hinata's shirt. It was an awkward position, but he wasn't about to let go.

Not, at least, until they got inside and Hinata shrugged him off.

"I'm not gonna bolt."

Otonashi put his hands into his pockets. "Yeah?"

Hinata put his arm around Otonashi's shoulders. "You said _anything_." He smiled, then, and tucked Otonashi closer to him. "I hope you've warmed up."

Otonashi groaned, clapping a hand over his eyes. "Too late for a take-back?"

"Far too late," agreed Hinata, climbing the stairs beside him. "But you won't regret it. Promise."

Otonashi snorted. "Pervert."

"You asked for it," said Hinata smoothly, and Otonashi couldn't deny it. "And you offered me anything I want."

"You aren't letting me live that down," said Otonashi.

Hinata's grin turned into a smirk that was as good as a _no_.

Otonashi sighed, but he couldn't hide the relief in his stance. It was a small price to pay, doing whatever Hinata wanted. Hinata's hands on him were sure again, possessive and broad, without tremor. The hands he'd come to know as a comfort, the hands that lit fires in his belly and steadied his steps.

The feeling was fleeting, as ever. When they entered the common room, they found Fujimaki curled around Ooyama on the floor, and Noda not three feet away, still panting.

"What - " began Hinata, when Noda dashed forward, hauled them into the common room, and shut the stairwell door behind them.

"I don't know what it was," said Noda. "I have no clue."

"It was like a big, black - shadow," mumbled Ooyama, and Fujimaki only tightened his hold. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Everybody else already knows," said Noda, looking Hinata and Otonashi up and down. "Meeting's tomorrow."

"Um. Ooyama?" asked Otonashi, watching the way Fujimaki hunched over him.

"I'm fine. Noda showed up in time, that's all," said Ooyama, before sniffing a bit harder and mustering up a smile. "So can it wait until the meeting? Running it into the ground, I mean."

Hinata sighed, and smiled. "Yeah. It can wait. We'll - run distraction."

Ooyama snorted a little, and nuzzled into Fujimaki's neck.

"Do you think we're getting predictable?" muttered Otonashi.

"Do you mind?" asked Ooyama. He scratched his fingernails down the back of Fujimaki's head. "Don't break what works."

Otonashi swallowed hard. He realized, watching Ooyama's hands on Fujimaki, that he didn't want to share. Not tonight, not Hinata. Ooyama's hands weren't sharing hands either.

"I'm guarding the door," said Noda, his voice quiet and full of venom. "You go on."

"Noda-" Hinata began.

"I dunno whether it'll come back or not. This isn't like Angel - it's not a _girl_. It's a black cloud of hell-knows-what. Even money says it doesn't sleep." Noda lifted his chin. "I'm guarding the door."

Otonashi felt a smile tugging at his lips. Noda caught it, and smiled back. "Because I know a pussy like you couldn't handle it. I bet you'd fall asleep before midnight, Otonashi," he said.

"Bullshit," said Otonashi. "When we come back out in the morning you'll be passed out on the floor."

"When you come back out in the morning you better be ready to get your face beaten in." Noda's eyes narrowed, his hands tightening on his halberd.

"Fujimaki," breathed Ooyama. "Go. Let's go."

"Yeah," agreed Hinata, grabbing Otonashi by the wrist. "Before it gets worse."

"Chickenshit!" Noda hollered after them.

Hinata already had Otonashi inside his room, and slammed the door shut. "You were goading him."

"Uh huh. Don't break what works, right?" Otonashi sat on the foot of the bed and put his weight on his hands.

Hinata huffed a little, then shrugged out of his overshirt, throwing it into the laundry pile in the closet. "Fine. You owe me an 'anything.'"

"Yeah," agreed Otonashi, licking his lips.

Hinata's eyes followed his tongue, then trailed down, his attention as heavy as a touch. "Do I have to use it tonight?"

"What?"

Hinata smiled. "Do I? It might be good. For later. To make you stop and reconsider when you tell me 'no' because something scares you."

Otonashi swallowed. "Uh-"

"Or is that my 'anything'?" Hinata advanced on him, leaning over him until his hands landed on the bed and Otonashi had to lay back. "That you'll really _think_ before you refuse me."

Otonashi thought about it. What could Hinata ask of him that he wouldn't give? Sexually - practically nothing. But the heavy, empty sound of a batter's helmet hitting the dirt shot apprehension down Otonashi's spine.

"Would I still get to say no, after I thought about it?" he mumbled, feeling like a coward.

"Oh, you're right," said Hinata, then. "That's a crappy 'anything' if you get to veto."

Otonashi flushed.

"Plan B. I'm taking you to the bathroom. Know why?" Before Otonashi could grimace and stammer out an off-color joke, Hinata leaned down and nibbled at his ear. "Because there's a mirror. You're going to see what I see. I want you to watch yourself."

Otonashi swallowed hard, his mouth falling open on a new breath. "Wh-why?"

Hinata smiled against his throat. "It's my favorite thing. I don't want you to miss out. And I'm going to use your name. Yuzuru."

Otonashi winced, so Hinata said it again. "Yuzuru. Yeah, that's right. You said _anything,_ babe. Anything I want."

"I- yes. I did say that. Didn't I."

"Then I'm going in there and I'm going to wait for you. Come when you're ready."

Hinata pushed himself up and headed for the bathroom, fully clothed, without looking back. He turned on the light, then shut the door.

Otonashi felt his breath stuttering in his chest. He tried to breathe more deeply, to even it out.

He thought about the way Yui cried, and about how Hinata hadn't closed the distance to wipe her tears for her.

He thought about Kanade, the new, crueler weapon she'd built because he'd told her to be evil.

He thought about Igarashi, and how he'd never been able to tell him the truth without revealing his own wounds.

So he hadn't. He hadn't done a thing. He was just playing at sincerity, always making up substitutes for the truth.

When he opened the door to the bathroom, Hinata was bent over the sink, washing his face. The toilet was still running, refilling after having been flushed.

Hinata spat a mouthful of water before he lifted his head.

"Yes," said Otonashi. "I believe it's possible."

When he kissed Hinata, he found the bitter traces of acid still in his mouth, gagged, and pulled back so they could both spit again.

"Nasty," said Otonashi, and Hinata grunted without sympathy.

He didn't repeat his answer, and Hinata didn't ask for clarification.

"Not a sexy way to kick it off," said Hinata wryly, finding a smile and putting it on.

Otonashi snorted. Then shrugged. "So did you want me on the counter or what?"

"Idiot. There's a full-length on the back of the door. Just shut it." Hinata dried his face on his shirt.

Otonashi wondered, briefly, if this was all a scheme to get just one more door between them and the outside. The bathroom, with no windows, with tiled walls, with a lock on the door, was the most secure part of their room. He remembered the way even Noda looked rattled, and locked the door without shame.

He turned and found Hinata with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.

"Thtrip," he ordered around a mouthful of foam.

Otonashi couldn't help but laugh. Hinata flapped a hand at him. "I thed -" he spat "- I said, strip."

"Make me," challenged Otonashi.

Hinata brushed his teeth at lightning speed after that one, and only took a moment to rinse his mouth before he launched himself at Otonashi.

When their lips met again, Otonashi tasted only mint. The toothpaste hadn't washed away the wretched tightness in the back of his throat, but Hinata was more than enough distraction.

Roughly, Hinata turned Otonashi so he faced the mirror, pulled Otonashi back against his body and tucked Otonashi's hands behind his back. "Keep them there," he breathed. "And _watch._"

"You're serious?"

Hinata hummed. "Yeah," he murmured, and reached up to hold Otonashi's chin. "Yuzuru. Don't look away."

* * *

><p>Otonashi woke on the bathroom floor, his head resting in Hinata's lap.<p>

Hinata was awake, carding slow fingers through his hair. Otonashi decided it wasn't worth the effort to get up, and only groaned as he tried to stretch. The tile was cold, but if he wriggled he could reach the rug and lay on that instead.

"Wh'tim'sit?" he mumbled, opening one eye to look up at Hinata.

Hinata shrugged, drawing his fingertips over the wrinkles forming on Otonashi's forehead. "Time to clean the mirror?"

Otonashi glanced over, saw the smeared mess of fingerprints, and groaned.

Hinata snorted. "I don't know. I think it's morning. Technically."

"You slept?" murmured Otonashi, starting to yawn.

Hinata hummed, then laughed when Otonashi rubbed his face against his belly. "Yeah."

Otonashi tucked his nose into Hinata's navel. The tip of it fit without any problems. The heat of Hinata's skin against his closed eyes was lulling enough to remind him that it was what had convinced him to fall asleep in the bathroom in the first place. "Bed," he croaked.

Hinata tensed his stomach. Otonashi sat up. He made a face at the mess on the mirror, and opened the bathroom door.

They both heard the sob.

"That sounds like Naoi," breathed Otonashi.

Hinata groaned, and dug around in the chest of drawers for a clean set of pants for them both. "Here! Come on, it might be a shadow-thing or something-"

Otonashi hopped into his pants, fumbling in the nightstand for a gun. "Fuck! Shit, fuck-"

Hinata caught him. "Wait. Wait. Listen."

Otonashi paused, frowning at Hinata, but he heard Naoi sob again, and yelp, and the sound of Noda snarling, "Serves you right!"

Otonashi tucked the gun into his waistband, but he kept the safety on. Carefully, he and Hinata crossed to the door, and opened it just a crack.

Noda had his shirt collar pulled up around his ears, and he was swaying slowly from side to side. That in and of itself was weird enough, but he was standing in front of Fujimaki on the sofa. Fujimaki had one hand raised, his fingers tight together, and Naoi sprawled over his lap, pants around his knees.

Naoi had a blindfold tied tight over his eyes - a necktie, it appeared - with his hat on the floor some feet away and his hands scrabbling at the sofa for purchase. With every vicious slap, he sobbed again, and by the time Otonashi remembered to breathe, Naoi's thighs, bright red, had begun to tremble.

Helpfully, Ooyama said, "Hey, Lieutenant. Otonashi."

Naoi squirmed. "Otonashi? Oto- no! Stop!"

Noda jerked his head up, then pulled it back down, settling the collar of his shirt over his ears again. "He ain't gonna stop," he growled, as Fujimaki spanked Naoi yet again.

"What's, um. What's all this?" asked Hinata thinly.

"Noda fell asleep on watch. Naoi snuck in, found him, and convinced him that he's a tortoise," said Ooyama, not bothering to hide the laughter in his voice. "Then he kicked him over. And you know, tortoises can't get up without help if they're on their backs. And Noda's shouting meant Fujimaki and I had to get out of bed."

Fujimaki grunted, and spanked again. Naoi sobbed, his hands tight in his own hair.

Otonashi winced. "Um. So. How- how many does he get?"

"Until I'm _done_ with him," said Fujimaki.

"Until he _fixes_ me!" cried Noda, tucking his nose into his collar.

Fujimaki braced his forearm over Naoi's shoulders and leveled another solid smack to his ass. Naoi cried out, then shuddered hard.

"Uh. Fujimaki?" Otonashi stepped carefully around the couch and caught sight of Naoi's face, red as his abused skin.

"Apologize," growled Fujimaki. "And I'll let you up. Tell me how bad you've been."

Naoi gasped, arching up into the next blow. He sobbed out, "S-so bad."

Otonashi said, "Oh."

Fujimaki held his hand high, waiting. As the anticipation lasted longer and longer, Naoi began to writhe, all shuddering breaths and rolling hips.

"Are you going to apologize? Are you going to put Noda back to normal?"

Naoi moaned, "P-lease-" and fell silent. His hands kneaded the back of his own head, but he said nothing further.

Fujimaki leaned down. "You know, by morning this will all have healed. You won't even have a scar. So I can keep going until you break."

Naoi keened, beginning again to sob.

Ooyama said, "Lieutenant. Can I?"

Hinata and Otonashi shared a look. Otonashi shrugged. Hinata nodded.

"Fujimaki, I'm going to go to bed. Come back when you're done, okay?"

With another resounding slap, Fujimaki grunted. Naoi wailed. "Yeah," said Fujimaki, "okay."

Hinata tucked one arm around Otonashi, and turned him. They let Ooyama follow, and shut the door on a sputtering, frustrated Noda.

"H-uh," said Otonashi, letting Hinata disarm him and put the guns away.

Ooyama yawned, rubbing his forehead. "Well, I'm glad Fujimaki's got _someone_ he can work that out on."

There was a pause. Hinata ventured, "He's a spanker?"

"In theory," answered Ooyama. His smile quirked at another muffled cry from Naoi. "Practice now."

Otonashi wrinkled his nose.

Ooyama shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "Couple that with good, old-fashioned _coitus interruptus_ and he's not really focused on Noda. Being a tortoise and all."

"_Interruptus_?" echoed Hinata, wincing.

"Why d'you think I let Fujimaki _spank_ him," deadpanned Ooyama. "Seriously."

Otonashi bit his lip. "So. Um. Ooyama?"

When Ooyama looked to him, he glanced at Hinata, and saw a slow smile blooming there.

"Was there something you, uh. Wanted to practice?"


	11. Honey Don't

A/N: Hello! Sorry, yes, it has been a bijillion years, but I have returned with another chapter of, uh, well. Nobody ever said this story was going to have a happy ending.

Pairings: Otonashi/TK, Noda/Hinata, Naoi/Takeyama, Ooyama/Fujimaki, and a little bit of Naoi/Otonashi.

Many thanks to my Bean, who is my beta and who is my emotional check for Hinata's reactions to things. Many thanks also to my reviewers, and those people that took the time to send me PMs about this story. You are all very kind and encouraging about this little hobby of mine.

* * *

><p>Ooyama said, "I am sick of seeing these things."<p>

His voice was quiet, a little shaky. "The shadows, when they first showed up. And again when they - when they sucked Takamatsu out of his own skin."

"Ooyama," said Fujimaki.

"We've all seen them now," said Noda, his jaw tight. "But they cut up real easy."

"They bleed code," said Ooyama. "Takamatsu doesn't. He just _bleeds_."

Noda murmured, "Who knows. We didn't cut 'im."

"Shut up, you ass," growled Fujimaki.

Otonashi said, "Nobody's cutting Takamatsu. We leave him alone."

"Who made you boss?" spat Noda, glaring up from beneath his bangs.

"You don't like that he's right," said Hinata. "Plus, you're in _our_ room."

"Yuri said we should leave him alone," said Ooyama, leaning against Fujimaki. "She said."

"Why are you all staying in our room anyway?" asked Hinata. "You guys think maybe there's only enough room for me and Otonashi in this bed?"

"It's yours and TK's," said Otonashi, leaning back against TK's warm chest. "Not yours and mine."

"Ain't no Sunshine," murmured TK, speaking mournfully against Otonashi's hair. He tucked one arm under Otonashi's neck and curled his other hand over Otonashi's hip.

"Matsushita V is training," murmured Takeyama from behind TK. "And it's rude to stay alone in a man's room while he's gone."

"That explains TK," groused Hinata. He yelped when Noda bit the side of his neck.

Noda growled, "Takamatsu got eaten. You really want us to split up?"

Otonashi sighed. "The bed's big anyway. Fujimaki, are you even on it?"

Fujimaki grunted, slipped, tried again to squeeze onto the mattress. Hinata glanced back over his shoulder, then sighed. He scooted in close toward Otonashi, pressing their bodies together. Noda got the hint and followed suit, until they were all squeezed in together on their sides. Takeyama's chest against TK's back, TK spooned up against Otonashi, Hinata pressed to Otonashi's front, Noda curled right up behind him, and Ooyama facing Fujimaki with his back to Noda's.

"This is gonna be a billion degrees," mumbled Otonashi, tilting his chin up to let Hinata press his face to his throat. He felt Hinata grin before he spoke.

"So take y'r shorts off and cool down."

From the doorway to the bathroom, Naoi said, "Wait, what?"

Hinata lifted his head and waved a hand. "Not you. Get out. You convinced me I was toilet paper."

"And you fell into Otonashi's arms! Are you going to complain?" asked Naoi, putting his weight on one hip.

"His own shadow attacked him," said Otonashi, tucking his nose into TK's elbow and closing his eyes. "We can't risk anybody being alone. You heard Yurippe."

"There's room by me," said Takeyama, "or you can sleep on the floor."

"But Otonashi-" began Naoi.

Otonashi said, "I like TK, and you aren't getting Hinata to move. No hypnotism with the lights off." At Naoi's mutinous silence, he added, "Don't you try to prove me wrong."

Naoi squawked. "But this could be the last-"

"Don't be stupid," said Otonashi, quick and loud. "Get into bed and go to sleep."

Noda yawned, scratching his fingernails down Hinata's belly. Otonashi could feel the calluses and the softness on the backs of Noda's hands, and the way Hinata shivered. And then, the smoothness of TK's thigh sliding between his own from behind.

Naoi said, "Um."

Takeyama said, "I'm getting cold."

Noda mouthed down the side of Hinata's neck. Hinata arched back against him, grinding his hips forward against Otonashi's.

"Damn it, Noda," mumbled Otonashi, pressing his face into TK's arm. TK laughed against the back of his neck.

"Fighting," mumbled Noda, biting just behind Hinata's ear. "Heat of battle. Yurippe. Fuck."

"Otonashi?" asked Naoi, the uncertainty in his voice cutting through the thick, growing desire rushing through Otonashi's head. "What should I, um."

Blindly, Otonashi reached one hand back, his arm stretching over TK and Takeyama. "Get in," he said.

He felt Naoi's fingers touch his palm first, cold and tentative. But slowly, they spread to twine with Otonashi's as Naoi climbed into bed and Takeyama sighed out, "Finally."

"I don't want to - I mean, I can't. I've never-" stammered Naoi, his voice squeaking as he was suddenly cut off. His fingers twitched in Otonashi's grip, then went tight.

Hinata's tongue snaked over the base of Otonashi's throat. TK mouthed his shoulder. They moved toward each other until their mouths met, kissing deep and slow by Otonashi's ear. Noda grunted, and Fujimaki started to laugh.

"Nope, that's a gun," said Ooyama, dry as bone.

Otonashi blinked, but couldn't sit up. "Not the top drawer! That's where all the ammo is."

Noda looked over his shoulder at the gun Fujimaki was waving, then groaned. "Everybody keeps lube in the top drawer, you moron, what are you trying to do?"

"Everybody?" asked Naoi, lifting his head.

"Oh, my God, Naoi, shut up," groaned Hinata, breaking the kiss with TK. "You got laid last night!"

"I didn't!" cried Naoi, sitting up. Takeyama grunted hard, then coughed.

"Knee. Chest. Ow," he wheezed.

Fujimaki said, "Aha. Second drawer!"

"Gimme that," said Noda, wriggling impatiently.

"Wait your turn!" said Ooyama, batting Noda's hand away.

"I swear I didn't," protested Naoi, sounding close to tears. "That peon assaulted me-"

"You were having a fucking _blast_," said Noda dismissively. "Stop hogging it! Ooyama!"

Fujimaki grunted. Ooyama moaned. "Oh, don't care. Don't care," he mumbled.

"That's gonna leave a mark," said Hinata, watching TK sink his teeth into Otonashi's shoulder. Otonashi felt the pressure before the new-blooming ache, and tipped his head back.

"I didn't have sex with it," pouted Naoi, squeezing Otonashi's hand. "You have to believe me!"

"Oh, I believe you," said Otonashi, gasping when Hinata's mouth fastened to his skin just next to TK's. "Is this a competition?" he whined. When both Hinata and TK grunted in the affirmative and began to wriggle Otonashi out of his shorts, he laughed instead of smacking his own forehead.

He couldn't have gotten his hand free of Naoi's grip if he'd tried, and his other arm was pinned under Hinata anyway. He was warm and at their mercy. TK's bite was stronger, but Hinata sucked harder, his tongue lashing over the skin between his teeth. It was all Otonashi could do to breathe, trapped riding TK's insistent thigh.

Noda let out a whoop as Fujimaki tapped him on the shoulder with the lube. Hinata bit down harder when Noda skipped the usual niceties of disrobing and just tore Hinata's shorts off of him. And then again as Noda, true to form, continued to favor speed over finesse.

TK reached over him, slipping a sympathetic hand past Hinata to grab Noda's wrist and slow him down. When his hand returned, it had the lube in it, and Otonashi barely had a moment to catch his breath before it was his turn.

Dimly, he heard Takeyama say, "I don't mind either way."

He heard Hinata whimper against his throat, and Fujimaki's cut-off swear before a heavy thunk.

"They fell off!" cried Naoi.

"You guys okay?" managed Otonashi.

Ooyama laughed. "Uh huh. _So_ okay."

"Speak for yourself," groaned Fujimaki.

"You got the wind knocked out of you, and a bump on the head. Poor baby," cooed Ooyama, sounding entirely unrepentant.

"I'm taking your spot," said Noda, pulling Hinata back with him.

"We're gonna be just fine on the floor," Ooyama assured him.

"Oh, um," said Naoi in a shaky voice. "I was going to tell you to unhand me- but."

Takeyama hummed. "Call me Christ, and I won't."

Hinata shuddered, his hands reaching out to clutch Otonashi. "So f-fuckin' creepy," he ground out.

"Oh, no! Oh, no, oh - " said Ooyama, breaking into uncontrollable giggles. "It's Christ! And God! Together!"

"Shit. Shit! I hate you! I fuckin' hate you, Ooyama, I hate you - " snarled Hinata. Noda curled a hand over his mouth and bit his ear.

Ooyama didn't stop laughing, even when Fujimaki growled and made him yelp. "Not sorry, not sorr-ry," mumbled Ooyama.

Fujimaki said, "Shut up, babe," and Ooyama giggled his way into a wordless moan.

"I - oh. I don't see what's so wrong. I-I mean, it's not like he's _actually_ Christ," stuttered Naoi.

"Die, all of you," panted Hinata.

Otonashi felt TK laughing against his back. He just sighed, grateful for the attentions of the one remaining member of their party that wasn't prone to chatter during sex. TK's hands never stopped, and he kept his mouth busy with Otonashi's throat and shoulder instead of making blasphemous puns. It was comforting. And highly effective.

Otonashi's vision whited out. All he heard for a blessed few moments was TK's satisfied hum against his ear and the rushing of his own blood through his head.

He came down. Hinata was yelling, "Shut up! Shut up!" at the same tempo that Naoi kept moaning, "Oh, Christ, oh, Christ." Naoi's hand in Otonashi's was clasped tight, twitching to the beat.

TK rocked, leisurely and warm, pressing his hand against Otonashi's belly. He moved like he had time. Like the others around them weren't bickering or shouting at each other, like Takamatsu hadn't lost his soul, like Matsushita wasn't gone away, like there weren't shadows spontaneously erupting out of crowds of NPCs.

Otonashi opened his eyes and watched Hinata grind his face into the bed as Noda's hips snapped hard against him. He could see new bruises in the shape of handprints on Hinata's sides.

The bruises would be gone by morning. But so might Hinata, devoured by a writhing mass of black. So might they all. And TK didn't seem bothered by it. TK had the rest of eternity, had Otonashi pliant and relaxed in his arms.

"Hey, TK," murmured Otonashi, looking back over his shoulder.

TK raised his eyebrows. "Hello, Hello," he breathed, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Otonashi couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, hi."

TK snorted, nuzzled Otonashi's cheek, ran his hand down Otonashi's thigh to hold him better. He kissed the back of Otonashi's neck.

It was surreal, feeling TK's calm in the middle of a yelling, fighting crowd. Otonashi watched Hinata elbow Noda hard in the chest, and Noda bite Hinata in retaliation. He felt Naoi's fingernails digging into the back of his hand, heard Fujimaki snarl and Ooyama laugh.

And TK just hummed a quiet, breathless little tune. TK, who was in constant, twitchy motion at all other times. He danced alone, spinning on his head or skidding down guardrails on his toes. The handcuffs around his neck always clinked. His hands always fluttered.

TK was fluid and comfortable and easy, molding Otonashi's body along his like they fit together, two puzzle pieces locking into place.

It was easy to reach his free hand out to Hinata and slip his fingers into Hinata's hair.

"About Matsushita V," he breathed, "Do you think he's alright out there? By himself?"

"Honey Don't," said TK, without venom.

Otonashi tugged on Hinata's hair. "But - "

"Let it Be," said TK.

Hinata cried out, his grip in the sheets going white-knuckled. Feeling almost detached, Otonashi watched Hinata collapse under Noda, let Hinata bury his face against Otonashi's hand.

"Shove over," said Fujimaki, and suddenly Noda crashed down between Otonashi and Hinata.

Hinata whimpered, Otonashi winced at Noda's shoulder coming down hard on his wrist, and Noda snarled, "Fuck! Where do you assholes get off pushing me into the wet spot?"

Ooyama climbed onto the mattress after Fujimaki with a yawn. "Maybe because your fat ass knocked us off in the first place?"

Hinata groaned, "Warn a guy next time. Ow."

Ooyama draped himself over Hinata and said, "Sorry, lieutenant. At least we waited until you were done?" He gave a happy little hum when Fujimaki lay down beside him and tucked an arm over them both.

Noda grunted and pushed himself up, staggering off the foot of the bed and landing with a grunt. "You guys need a bigger bed." He stomped off toward the bathroom and slammed the door.

"It fits two just fine," groused Hinata. His eyes fluttered as Ooyama petted his hair.

"Maybe _you_ morons think so, but as God, I have superior skills of balance and grace!" declared Naoi.

Takeyama said, "You're holding on to me, and I am holding on to TK. You're a baby monkey."

Naoi squawked his indignation, and TK started to laugh. Otonashi felt it rumble through him. He sighed and relaxed enough to realize he was smiling too. Hinata caught it, then Ooyama.

"That is not true. I am holding _Otonashi_," demurred Naoi, squeezing Otonashi's hand to prove it.

Ooyama stuffed his face against Hinata's neck, but Hinata shook with laughter.

Otonashi sighed. "Sure," he said. "I've got you."

Noda emerged from the bathroom and pitched a damp towel at the bed. it landed over Otonashi and TK. Otonashi swore and yanked the cold, wet cloth off of himself.

"You made it," said Noda. "You clean it up."

Otonashi groaned, halfheartedly dropping the towel over the wet spot. Sleepily, Ooyama murmured, "Since when do you care?"

"Otonashi's gross," answered Noda, lifting his chin.

"Is not!" cried Naoi. He scrambled right over Takeyama and TK, landing between Otonashi and Hinata. With a perfunctory scrub of the towel, he threw it over the edge of the bed and settled down with his chest against Otonashi's. "See? He's _perfect_."

Otonashi blinked as Naoi snuggled himself right up under his chin. "Um," he said. "Hi."

"Hey," Hinata protested.

"This is a good spot," said Naoi, nuzzling Otonashi's jaw. "We fit together."

TK sighed, and rolled away, putting his back to Otonashi's. Takeyama said, "Oh. Thanks." Otonashi heard him sigh, and TK's quiet hum as the two of them cuddled up with each other.

Noda came around the side of the bed, shoved Takeyama and TK over to make room so he could climb on. With a bit of squirming, everyone fit again. They put their arms around one another, holding on, keeping Noda and Fujimaki from falling off the edges.

Hinata rolled to put his back to Naoi. He mumbled, "You better not kick."

Naoi asked, "Are you comfortable, Otonashi?" and tangled their legs together.

Hinata went unacknowledged without even a sigh.

Fujimaki said, "Nh, cold." He sat up with a grunt, gathered the blankets from the floor at the foot of the bed, and threw them toward the head. There was a brief struggle as they wriggled the blankets down fully enough to get their heads above them, but they settled together soon enough.

Otonashi sighed, letting Naoi tuck his head up under his chin again. Naoi always smelled a little like dirt. Like warm, rich earth. His hair was soft, and his small body fit into Otonashi's hold with ease. When he tensed, his hands were brittle twigs. But then, pliant and warm and sleepy, he was just a kitten, light as a girl.

Otonashi's eyes came open in the dark, feeling a pang in his chest as his memories surfaced.

Angel had been so beautiful, spreading her wings to ease her landing. The wings he'd asked her to build, to help her perform the work he wanted her to complete. She was so quiet, so obedient, so economical in motion. She was graceful in her mastery. But the wings needed space, and her weapons made it impossible for anyone to fight against her back.

Angel was lonely. She was so very alone. And in the middle of this warm mass of breathing bodies, the battlefront that, for the moment, had not been consumed by shadow, Otonashi wondered if she was cold.

He wondered where Takamatsu was sleeping.

He could hear Noda swearing at Takeyama under his breath, and TK chuckling and yawning. He could hear Hinata sigh and Ooyama hum and the soft sound of Fujimaki snoring.

Naoi rested his hands on Otonashi's chest, spreading his fingers. He tipped his head up and kissed Otonashi's chin, then his lips. "You're twitching," he whispered.

Otonashi blinked down at him. He opened his mouth to answer, and Naoi covered it with his own. It was a chaste kiss, soft and brief, but it lit Naoi's face up like the sunrise. He rubbed little circles on Otonashi's chest with his fingertips.

"I can help you sleep," he offered.

Otonashi sighed. "It didn't work the first time," he murmured, putting his hand over Naoi's to still them.

Naoi flushed, but he shook his head. "Just look into my eyes. It does work in the dark, I promise."

For a moment, Otonashi watched him, looking anywhere but his eyes. He debated the hypnotism, the feeling of helplessness. But he knew his mind was racing far too hard to let him come down enough to sleep, so he whispered, "Okay," and met Naoi's gaze.

Naoi said, "Relax, Otonashi. I've got you."

Otonashi succumbed, and slept.

* * *

><p>In the gray morning, a sliver of cold air slipped between Otonashi's back and TK's. Otonashi woke with the chill and the dip in the mattress that released as TK climbed out of bed.<p>

He lifted his head and saw Hinata, fully dressed and damp from a shower, waiting by the door.

"Wh?" he breathed.

"TK and I are gonna go check on the girls," whispered Hinata.

Rummaging around on the floor for his clothes, TK murmured, "Just the Two of Us."

Hinata gave Otonashi a thin smile. "Yeah, you guys look comfortable. We'll be okay."

Otonashi squinted at him in the darkness. Naoi moaned in his sleep and curled impossibly closer to him, his fingers digging into Otonashi's back.

TK rose, shrugging into his shirt. He tied his bandanna over his forehead, yawned into the back of his hand, and came over to bump his shoulder against Hinata's.

Hinata nodded to him, opened the door, and left.

Naoi shivered with a nightmare, whimpering against Otonashi's collarbone.

Slowly, the empty spaces around them began to warm, TK and Hinata's lost heat compensated for by Takeyama and Ooyama.

Otonashi drifted back to sleep, listening for the sound of gunfire that never came.


End file.
